Innovation in thinking to serve people

BHG - Despite still in the process of apparatus restructuring, Ha Giang Province has still synchronously implemented many administrative reform tasks, such as administrative unit merging, apparatus streamlining, digital transformation, and Project 06 implementation. These efforts have created profound changes in management thinking and people and business serving methods.

Police officers in Phuong Tien Commune (Vi Xuyen District) communicate and guide local people on electronic identification authentication.

In the spirit of Resolution 18 of the Party Central Committee, the province has reduced the number of departments and branches from 19 to 14; arranged specialised departments at the district level and public service units; and has also cut down on intermediate levels. Notably, following reviews at the commune level — where people have direct contact — the province has merged 120 communes, reducing from 193 to 73 administrative units (a reduction of more than 62%).

At the same time, Ha Giang has promoted the online public service platform, digitising the full process of more than 500 administrative procedures. Over 90% of applications are submitted online. The on-time settlement rate is over 98%, and 100% of civil status data has been digitised. Nearly 16,000 people use the "Ha Giang Digital Citizen" platform. As a result, the local people can now register their births and do paperwork by using just their phones. For example, Sung Mi Sa of Lung Chinh Commune shared that thanks to his smartphone and being guided to authenticate his identity, everything has become simpler and more convenient, especially when accessing medical services.

The province has identified a "dual task": merging and streamlining the organisational apparatus, while improving governance capacity through reform and digital transformation. Ha Thi Minh Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the Ha Giang Provincial People's Committee, said that the province is preparing a two-level government model (provincial and communal levels) in the Ha Giang-Tuyen Quang merger project. The province has identified data digitisation, system connectivity, and digital staff training as key factors. At the same time, the province proposed that the central agency integrates the sets of indexes of administrative reform, digital transformation, and Project 06 into a unified assessment system.

To ensure effectiveness after the merger, the province proposed a mechanism to support investment in technology infrastructure, digital equipment, and personnel training for remote communes, which have a large amount of work but limited personnel capacity. Currently, the province only has ID issuance equipment at 21 locations, whereas it needs to expand to 73 newly formed communes. This not only creates more favourable conditions for local people but also serves as a development momentum in a mountainous province still facing many challenges like Ha Giang.

KIM TIEN