PM orders uninterrupted public services amid transition to two-tier local government model

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on June 17 issued a dispatch directing all ministries and provincial-level authorities to ensure seamless and uninterrupted administrative services during the reorganizing of local administrative units and the implementation of the two-tier local government model.

The dispatch, as quoted by the Vietnam News Agency, highlighted that in alignment with resolutions from the Party Central Committee's Politburo and Secretariat, Party General Secretary To Lam, the National Assembly, and the Government, the PM as well as ministries and ministry-level agencies have issued 28 resolutions on delegation of authority, clarifying jurisdiction under the new two-tier model.

The resolutions reassign responsibility for 346 administrative procedures - 18 from district to provincial levels, 278 to commune level, and 50 eliminated. A total of 556 procedures have also been decentralized from central to local levels, including 163 in agriculture and environment, 119 in industry and trade, 59 in health care, and 37 in construction.

To support this transformation, the Government issued Decree No. 118/2025/ND-CP on June 9, 2025, establishing a single-window mechanism for handling administrative procedures at ministerial one-stop-shop units, provincial-level public administration centers, commune-level units, and via the National Public Service Portal. This replaces Decree No. 61/2018/ND-CP and enables cross-boundary service delivery within each province. The new system will eliminate district-level service units and focus on modernizing provincial and commune-level centers, while transforming the national portal into Vietnam’s unified gateway for public services.

To continue driving progress and prevent service disruptions during the transition, the PM’s dispatch gave a number of instructions to leaders of ministries, ministry-level agencies and localities.

Specifically, ministers and heads of ministry-level agencies must complete the publication and updating of delegated procedures in the National Administrative Procedure Database by June 20, and issue any necessary circulars and guiding documents by June 25.

Meanwhile, localities’ leaders were assigned to publicly release the list of applicable administrative procedures and update the national database as soon as relevant ministries issue them, while adjusting internal and digital workflows to ensure continuous, efficient service delivery from July 1, and publicizing office locations and the list of available services at provincial and commune-level service centers by June 25.

They were urged to establish and publicize 24/7 hotlines for provincial service centers and commune-level People’s Committees by June 25 to support the public during the transition.

Regarding the handling of administrative procedures, the PM asked leaders of centrally-run localities to ensure effective public service delivery, while strengthening public service centers at provincial and commune levels using district-level resources, publishing a list of inter-district procedures by December, integrating all online public services into the National Public Service Portal by June 20, resolving technical issues by June 25, avoiding developing inactive services and review such procedures by July 20, and ensuring all business procedures are online and paperless by end-2025.

Localities must unify administrative IT systems, especially those being merged, asked the PM, requesting that systems must integrate with the National Public Service Portal.

Ministries must upgrade and sync sector-specific databases and enable real-time data flow.

The Ministry of Finance must update administrative codes and provide funding, while the Ministry of Science and Technology must improve bandwidth and connectivity.

The Government Office was directed to ensure smooth transition to the National Data Centre, maintain uninterrupted services, and align with the new two-tier government structure.

The Government leader also asked telecommunications service suppliers including VNPT, Viettel, MobiFone, and FPT to upgrade and configure systems across government levels, and ensure 24/7 service stability by June 25 to guarantee seamless public services from July 1.

Ministers, agency heads, and local leaders are personally accountable for service continuity and transparency, the dispatch underlined.