Vietnam Signs Cross-Ministry Framework for Reform of Administrative Procedures

On the morning of April 4, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, a signing ceremony was held for the Cross-Agency Coordination Regulation on the implementation of tasks to reform administrative procedures (TTHC) among the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Regulation details and coordination mechanism

The signing was co-chaired by General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; Nguyen Hai Ninh, Minister of Justice; and Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Science and Technology.

The Regulation includes three chapters and 12 articles. It sets out the coordination mechanism for TTHC reform, assigning the Ministry of Justice as the central coordinating agency for policy development, institutional building, and implementation of administrative procedure reform tasks. The Ministry of Public Security is tasked with data management, identity, and electronic authentication, while the Ministry of Science and Technology leads the development of the platform and technical infrastructure.

The Regulation also provides that any changes related to the provision of online public services must be subject to unified input from all three ministries, except for technical content. For information exchange, it establishes an online coordination mechanism through a shared coordinating tool platform to enable real-time updates, receipt and processing of information, progress tracking, and coordinated deployment of work.

Implementation plan for 2026

To ensure the coordination is substantive and effective, the Regulation is accompanied by an Implementation Plan for 2026. The Plan specifies responsibilities, content, and tasks for the leading ministry and coordinating agencies in line with six defined principles.

Key results on appraisal, reduction and simplification

Justice Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh said that over recent years the Party and the State have prioritized TTHC reform, improving service quality and public and business satisfaction and contributing to macroeconomic and social development. He noted that TTHC reform has supported the transition from an electronic government to a digital government by using data to reduce and simplify procedures and to deliver public services in a unified and streamlined manner.

TTHC appraisal (2021–2025)

From 2021 to 2025, ministries and agencies assessed 3,614 administrative procedures across 377 policy proposals and drafts of legal documents.

Reduction and simplification targets and progress

In 2025, the Prime Minister approved plans to reduce and simplify 3,085 TTHC, equivalent to 63.1% of targeted items, and to cut 2,371 business conditions, equivalent to 33.9%. In the first quarter of 2026, ministries continued to cut 137 TTHC and simplify 629 TTHC, and to cut and simplify 311 business conditions.

In addition, building on the National Population Database held by the Ministry of Public Security, the Government instructed further reductions and simplifications of 1,033 TTHC, covering 95% of citizen-related documents in 297 legal documents. The Government also issued 30 decrees to delegate authority from the Central to provinces and districts (748 TTHC) and to communes (268 TTHC).

National Public Service Portal and data-based simplification

The National Public Service Portal is being developed as a national window. Government Resolution 66.7 of 2025 aims to reduce and simplify TTHC based on data, replacing or removing document components in 794 administrative procedures by using data from national databases and sector databases.

Impact and policy direction

Minister Ninh highlighted that the Project 06 initiative has driven a shift toward a service-oriented, transparent, and citizen-centered public administration, supporting Vietnam’s role as a model in digital transformation of the public sector and aligning with the goals of Politburo Resolution 57.

He said these achievements have affected the United Nations’ Online Service Index (OSI), part of the government-electronic index, with Vietnam recognized as one of the fastest-improving models in the region, approaching leading economies such as Korea and Denmark.

Expert emphasis on priorities for the next phase

Minister Ninh stated that, with the goal of placing Vietnam among the three ASEAN economies with the most favorable investment climate while maintaining double-digit growth in the new development phase, TTHC reform—particularly in institutional frameworks, data, and platform infrastructure—must be prioritized. He emphasized the direct and crucial roles of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Following Government directions, the three ministries have moved promptly to develop the Cross-Agency Coordination Regulation and implement the reform in a unified, effective, and coordinated manner, ensuring consensus and close coordination while supporting each other within their mandates.

Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh expressed confidence that the signing and implementation of the cross-ministry coordination Regulation will strengthen substantive and effective TTHC reform to meet national development needs and public expectations in the new era.