The 2025 Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX) and the Satisfaction Index of Public Administrative Services (SIPAS) results have just been announced, recording a powerful breakthrough for Dong Nai City as it rose into the top-ranking group nationwide.

Significant Strides Forward

According to the evaluation results, Dong Nai achieved a PAR INDEX score of 93.1%, ranking 3rd out of 34 provinces and cities nationwide. Compared to 2024 (when the country consisted of 64 provinces and cities), the locality increased its score by 2.41 points and climbed 5 places, moving from 8th position into the top-ranking group in the country. Several component indices achieved very high results, including: administrative reform direction and administration at 99.95%; administrative procedure reform at 97.79%; organizational apparatus reform at 95.53%; and public financial reform at 95.93%.

Notably, the 2025 SIPAS reached 87.16%, ranking 3rd out of 34 provinces and cities; compared to 2024 (when the country had 64 provinces and cities), this index increased by 4.75 points and rose 42 places. This result demonstrates that the quality of governance and administration at all levels of government is increasingly improving; it also reflects the satisfaction of citizens and businesses with state administrative agencies.

A prominent highlight in Dong Nai's administrative reform results is the leadership and executive direction, which have been implemented resolutely, consistently, and synchronously from the city level to the grassroots. Administrative reform is identified as a central task, integrated with building a digital government, digital transformation, and enhancing the quality of service for citizens and businesses.

In numerous working sessions with departments and sectors regarding administrative reform, Comrade Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People's Committee, has consistently emphasized: Administrative reform must be deployed synchronously and resolutely, achieving depth and using practical efficiency as the metric. Administrative reform not only creates convenience for citizens and businesses but also contributes to improving the investment environment and enhancing competitiveness. Therefore, administrative discipline and order must be tightened across the entire system.

During the transition from a provincial model to a city model and the operation of the two-level local government model, city leaders have required absolute assurance that there be no disruption in management, administration, or the resolution of tasks for citizens and businesses. The new apparatus must operate seamlessly, continuously, and efficiently; it must not create additional procedures or require citizens to change documents unless requested by the individuals or businesses themselves.

That resolute leadership spirit quickly spread to the grassroots level, creating a distinct transformation in public service execution. In 2025, Binh Phuoc Ward was evaluated as the leading unit in the PAR INDEX among 95 communes and wards, achieving an "Excellent" rating. The evaluation results for service quality to citizens and businesses under Decision No. 766/QD-TTg also reached very high levels, ranking first at the communal and ward levels.

According to the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Binh Phuoc Ward People's Committee, Ngo Hong Khang, the locality has always identified administrative reform as a central, consistent task with the involvement of the entire political system; placing citizens and businesses at the center and using satisfaction as the measure of service quality. The head of the Ward People's Committee directly inspects and urges the resolution of dossiers and the handling of citizen feedback, while linking administrative reform results to the evaluation of officials and civil servants.

Alongside Binh Phuoc Ward, many grassroots administrative reform models have also created positive effects, strongly focusing on the people. In Binh Minh Commune, the "Friday Without Appointment" model, implemented since October 2025, has demonstrated clear efficiency. Accordingly, every Friday, procedures such as marriage registration, issuance of marital status certificates, civil status extract copies, and death registration—if submitted with valid and complete documentation—will be received and resolved within the day without requiring an appointment slip. "This model is considered an important step in building a service-oriented administration, aiming toward a friendly, professional, and modern government," stated Pham Thi Le Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the Binh Minh Commune People's Committee.

Mr. Phi Thai Thanh, a resident of Binh Minh Commune, shared: "When I came to register my marriage under the 'Friday Without Appointment' model, I was quite surprised because the application was processed very quickly. The officials provided dedicated guidance, and I didn't have to travel back and forth as much as before, which is very convenient for citizens."

Building a Modern, Service-Oriented Administration

Parallel to improving service quality, Dong Nai has also achieved prominent results in organizational apparatus reform. At the Preliminary Conference reviewing one year of implementing the two-level local government model on May 8, Mr. Nguyen Huu Dinh, Member of the City Party Committee and Director of the Department of Home Affairs, stated: After implementing Resolution No. 202/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly regarding the merger of the former Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces to establish the new Dong Nai province (now Dong Nai City), the locality has urgently consolidated its organization toward being "lean, compact, strong, high-performance, valid, and efficient."

Following the restructuring, the city-level apparatus now consists of 14 departments and one administrative organization, representing a 50% reduction in specialized agency units; the number of specialized divisions has decreased by over 45%. At the communal level, 95 communes and wards have been consolidated, establishing 380 specialized divisions and public administration service centers, while maintaining the stable operation of over 1,200 public non-business units. The clear demarcation of functions, tasks, and powers has contributed to rectifying overlapping responsibilities, reducing intermediary levels, and enhancing the efficiency of state management and the quality of service to the people.

The Resolution of the 1st Congress of the Dong Nai City Party Committee for the 2025–2030 tenure identifies three strategic breakthroughs: the development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, and administrative reform. Among these, it emphasizes the requirement to accelerate administrative reform and build a professional, modern, effective, and efficient administration that serves the people and businesses, integrated with the development of digital government, a digital economy, and a digital society.

Alongside these efforts, administrative procedure reform integrated with digital transformation continues to yield positive shifts. According to the City Public Administration Service Center, all administrative procedures within the region have been implemented under a boundary-less mechanism, allowing citizens to complete procedures at any locality within the city regardless of their place of residence. Currently, the city has 2,100 administrative procedures operating under the "one-stop shop" and "inter-connected one-stop shop" mechanisms, with 100% of eligible procedures officially announced for boundary-less implementation. From July 2025 to the end of the first quarter of 2026, the city processed over 1.1 million boundary-less dossiers with a very high on-time rate.

In the context of Dong Nai becoming a city, these achievements in administrative reform carry even greater significance. They serve not only as a prerequisite for the stable and seamless operation of the new apparatus but also establish a foundation for building a modern urban government, enhancing service quality for citizens, and improving local competitiveness in this new stage of development.

Hồ Thảo

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/