Unified national online public service portal needed, evaluation shows

The 2024 evaluation highlighted the urgent need for a cohesive national online public service portal by 2030 to simplify government processes and improve accessibility for citizens nationwide.

The initiative aims to consolidate various public service portals into one centralized platform, making it easier for citizens to navigate administrative tasks. The move is part of the government's broader strategy to enhance digital governance, with a focus on convenience and accessibility for all.

An overview of the seminar held recently in the capital city. Photos: UNDP

Despite these intentions, the report shows that existing public service portals fall short of user expectations. Current systems do not adequately enable independent navigation, as evidenced by the fact that many citizens still rely on direct assistance from officials.

Speaking at the Thematic Discussion "Review of 63 Provincial Online Public Service" recently, Nguyen Duc Lam, Policy Advisor at IPS, identified several barriers that cause the low rate of online submissions, including the complexity of administrative procedures and a lack of transparency.  

"Users have to adapt to different interfaces, which complicates the online experience," he noted, referring to inconsistent provincial and national portals.

The research found that about 60 public service portals failed to meet the "personal data protection and privacy" criterion, while 39 lacked adequate accessibility for people with disabilities. Most portals achieve only average compatibility with computers and smartphones, with none exceeding 50% on performance metrics.

Lam noted that these difficulties are indicative of more serious systemic problems. The complexity of government processes remains a fundamental challenge, with many online services still reflecting outdated paper-based methods rather than embracing full digitization.

He added that the technical infrastructure in many localities is limited, the digital literacy of officials, civil servants, and public servants at different levels of government is uneven, and the support measures for the delivery of online public administration services are not yet effective, all of which are also major challenges to the widespread implementation of provincial e-service portals.

To increase the effectiveness of provincial e-service portals and improve the delivery of online government services, the report emphasizes the importance of adopting a user-centered approach in the digital environment.

To ensure that online platforms for government services are efficient, transparent, and easy to use, the policy advisor stressed that provinces and cities should review and address technical flaws in these platforms. This is especially important for marginalized groups, including ethnic minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities, he said.

There's an urgent need to build the capacity of public officials to manage and deliver public services online. At the same time, public awareness campaigns should highlight the convenience of using these platforms.

The report emphasizes the need to shift to a digital governance perspective, which involves creating policies and online services that facilitate natural interactions between service providers and users.

Digital technology and data connectivity must be flexibly applied to remove administrative barriers while ensuring efficient data sharing.

"In addition, relevant laws and regulations governing administrative procedures should be revised to better adapt to the digital environment, paying attention to processes that transcend geographical boundaries," Lam said.

By fostering this digital mindset and implementing these recommendations, Vietnam can significantly improve its public service delivery and create a more inclusive and effective system for all citizens, the policy advisor said.

UNDP Resident Representative Ramla Khalidi addresses the event

Speaking at the event, UNDP Resident Representative Ramla Khalidi said that the good news is that compared to 2023, more provincial e-services websites are now accessible to persons with disabilities. However, there is still considerable room to make e-services more convenient, user-friendly, and accessible to all. The assessment provided valuable insights into how to improve accessibility and usability for citizens, especially those at risk of being left behind in the digital transformation.

“I hope that provincial authorities will find the recommendations useful and actionable. As more disadvantaged citizens and underserved communities gain access to online public administrative services, Vietnam will become a more inclusive society,” she underlined.

Public e-service portals are essential to enable communication between the government and businesses and citizens in the rapidly developing digital government, according to Nguyen Minh Hong, Chairman of the Vietnam Digital Communications Association. Despite significant progress since 2021, the rate of online applications is still below expectations and the quality of services is still subpar, he said.