Nguyễn Văn Cẩn instructs residents to scan QR codes to look up administrative procedures. Photo courtesy of the Bắc Giang People's Committee.

BẮC GIANG  Nguyễn Văn Cẩn, a 43-year-old public servant, stands as a beacon of unwavering dedication to practical innovations and administrative reform. Throughout his diverse roles, Cẩn has showcased a commitment to streamlining processes and fostering efficiency, leaving an indelible mark on the communities he serves.

Currently holding the position of Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hương Mai commune, Việt Yên District, Bắc Giang Province, Cẩn continues to implement solutions that benefit both citizens and officials alike.

Cẩn's journey began in 2015 when he joined the Internal Affairs Division of Việt Yên District. Despite lacking a formal background in information technology, his passion and determination propelled him to delve into the realm of technology. By 2018, Cẩn and his team had embarked on a series of innovative initiatives aimed at modernising management practices, reforming administrative procedures, and establishing digital governance.

These initiatives, which have garnered recognition from specialised agencies, have been hailed for their effectiveness in enhancing efficiency and accessibility for citizens and officials alike. Cẩn's proactive approach to embracing technology as a tool for positive change has set a precedent for administrative reform across the region.

During the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in May and June 2021, when Việt Yên district faced significant challenges in monitoring isolated workers within quarantine areas, Cẩn, at the behest of district leadership, devised an innovative solution. Using Google Sheets, he established an online reporting system for the district's 61 quarantine areas. This system streamlined data collection, providing quarantine supervisors with electronic records of citizens. Consequently, it reduced the time required for compiling reports at higher levels, minimised data synthesis efforts by specialists, and enabled district leaders and the COVID-19 Steering Committee to monitor crucial information about citizens in quarantine areas regularly. This included details such as the number of rooms, occupants, available rooms, and the duration of quarantine for each individual. Ultimately, this initiative facilitated timely leadership and guidance in the district's pandemic prevention and control efforts.

During the repatriation of migrant workers in Bắc Giang province, Cẩn encountered challenges in categorising over 65,000 workers from various provinces, scattered across more than 1,000 households, by their hometowns for reporting purposes. Despite inconsistent data reporting from the communes, Cẩn utilised his computer skills to establish an online reporting system for the district's 17 communes and towns. This system facilitated accurate reporting of the number of workers by their hometowns, enabling the district's COVID-19 Steering Committee to promptly report to the provincial People's Committee and collaborate with other provinces on repatriation plans for migrant workers.

During the challenging periods of the pandemic and the general elections for the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils, Cẩn developed a programme to consolidate reports on election activities. Using OneDrive along with Google Sheets, he enabled the 17 communes and towns to report online before, during, and after the election day. This automated process updated the district's summary table with data from individual reports, facilitating the District Election Committee in promptly and accurately collecting election-related data.

Nguyễn Văn Cẩn guiding people to use the "Virtual Assistant" app on the Zalo platform "Hương Mai Commune People's Committee" to handle administrative procedures.

Empowering citizens

In October 2021, Cẩn was transferred to work in Hương Mai Commune and was promoted to Vice Chairman of the People's Committee. Working directly within the commune, engaging with citizens and businesses, Cẩn has spearheaded numerous initiatives in administrative reform aimed at streamlining processes for citizens and businesses.

In 2022, he proposed the implementation of a system to "standardise administrative procedures, integrate QR codes, and enable online document submission." Instead of adopting a single QR code for all procedures, he meticulously designed individual codes for each, thereby enhancing accessibility for citizens. Presently, all administrative procedures within the 13 fields overseen by the commune People's Committee feature QR codes, paper listings, and electronic bulletins.

Furthermore, he established QR codes for 25 essential administrative processes in alignment with Government Project 06, prominently displayed at the commune's "one-stop" section and village cultural houses. This initiative facilitates effortless online inquiries and document submissions for citizens.

To enable citizens to easily submit documents online, he designed a "Public Service Card" template containing account information, passwords, implementation procedures, and distributed it to citizens when they handled administrative procedures. Thanks to this, citizens can easily remember their accounts and login methods and can submit documents online. This approach has significantly increased the number of online submissions in the commune, reaching 71.1 per cent in 2022.

In 2023, while overseeing the "one-stop" section in Hương Mai commune, Cẩn observed that many residents repeatedly sought assistance with administrative procedures, burdening staff and consuming valuable time. To address this challenge, he devised a solution: a "Virtual Assistant" to aid citizens and businesses in navigating administrative tasks. Operating on the Zalo platform under the "Hương Mai Commune People's Committee," the virtual assistant focuses on four key fields: justice, labour, invalids, and social affairs, as well as land, natural resources, and police. Cẩn curated a comprehensive set of easily understandable Q&A resources and incorporated features such as form downloads and online document submission within a single application. This initiative streamlines support processes, providing convenient assistance to citizens and businesses round-the-clock while reducing operational costs for the "one-stop" department.

"Using the virtual assistant helps me quickly know the necessary documents for registering my child's birth without having to go to the commune to inquire. Additionally, I can submit documents online right at home, saving time and effort in travelling," said Nguyễn Thị Xuyến from Xuân Minh hamlet, Hương Mai commune.

In reflecting on his initiatives, Cẩn expressed a deep connection to his "Virtual Assistant" project, which aids citizens and businesses with administrative procedures via the Zalo platform "Hương Mai Commune People's Committee". Looking ahead, he remains committed to developing further practical initiatives aimed at enhancing citizen and business satisfaction throughout the administrative process.

His dedicated contributions to administrative reform, spanning from his tenure at the Internal Affairs Division of Việt Yên district to his current role as Vice Chairman of the commune People's Committee, have significantly elevated the district's administrative reform index. Consistently surpassing previous years' performance, his efforts have earned recognition from higher authorities. Việt Yên district has led in the administrative reform index at the district level for three consecutive years, from 2019 to 2021, while Hương Mai commune achieved top rankings in the index among communes and towns in the district in 2022.

Nguyễn Xuân Chiến, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hương Mai commune, affirmed that since Cẩn started working in the commune, he quickly engaged in work, harmoniously interacted with colleagues, and actively guided colleagues in using information technology in their work. In the field of administrative reform, Cẩn has introduced many initiatives to create favourable conditions for citizens when handling work tasks, with 100 per cent of citizens expressing satisfaction when performing administrative procedures.

With his contributions, on May 23, 2023, Cẩn was one of 31 individuals nationwide awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister for outstanding achievements in patriotic emulation movements. VNS