HÀ NỘI — People can fill in and submit forms for more than 700 administrative procedures in Hà Nội online this year, as the municipal People’s Committee has focused on promoting online public services.

According to Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications, Phan Lan Tú, 700 procedures are now available online, accounting for at least 40 per cent of 1,800 public services in the level-3 category.

Decree 43/2011/NĐ-CP on launching online public services defines four levels of public service registration:

Level 1: Procedures to fill in the required forms and information about process, time and service cost are available online.

Level 2: The service allows the user to download the required forms to be printed out and filled in later.

Level 3: The applicant can fill in and submit the forms online.

Level 4: Service payments can be settled online. Transaction results are available either online or by post, on request.

The online registration service level 4 will allow people, businesses and management units to perform administrative formalities, submit required forms, handle documents and payments and receive results using only a computer connected to the Internet.

Director Tú said that in July 2016, Hà Nội launched the portal egov.hanoi.gov.vn where residents can perform 7 administrative procedures, such as registering a birth, death or marriage. The city also started providing online public services in 144 wards of 10 districts from August 10 after successfully piloting the model in Long Biên and Nam Từ Liêm. Locals in the capital city can now access the website to process administrative procedures such as registering a birth, death or marriage, and certifying copied documents in Vietnamese. 

People’s Committees in wards and communes are in charge of receiving the requests and coordinating with authorised agencies in replying. The duration of processing a request is expected to be shortened from 20 days to five days, and will contribute to the preservation of citizens’ data online. 

The move is considered a breakthrough in Hà Nội’s administrative reform towards a simplified and transparent administration, which will help improve the city’s business environment as well as the responsibility of public servants. As of December 15 last year, the e-government system was available in all 584 urban wards and rural communes across the city.

From January 19, the city’s administrative agencies started offering 20 services at municipal level, with the Department of Justice installing 12 services for law practice registration and the Department of Culture and Sports opening 2 services on licencing advertisements. Meanwhile, the Tourism Department will provide 6 online services on issuing tour guide cards. Seven other services will be offered at district and ward/communal levels. In the first quarter of this year, the city plans to offer 120 online public services.

The city has set a target to provide 80 percent of public services online by 2020. — VNS