Hanoi (VNA) 💙- The urban administration model in Hanoi has seen positive results after two years of implementation, helping to streamline the apparatus at the ward level but still operating effectively.

The ward-level administrative bodies have been proactive in making quick decisions on urgent issues in the locality on the ground of clearly defining responsibilities and tasks, thereby improving the effectiveness of the state administrative apparatus. Units have basically completed the review and arrangement of administrative apparatus and strictly followed the working regulations, ensuring they operate normally. The arrangement of the administrative apparatus and personnel work at ward-level has assured that civil servants are competent at their jobs. The Standing Board of the municipal Party Committee, the People's Council, People's Committee and Fatherland Front of Hanoi and Party committees and organisations at all levels have focused on strengthening regular and thematic inspections to promptly remove difficulties, contributing to effective implementation of the pilot model of urban administration. The coordination between ward-level administration and agencies has been basically guaranteed and effective. The operation of the municipal People's Committee has changed in a positive way, and the efficiency of the apparatus has been improved. Changing the mode of operation has created conditions for ward-level chairmen to be more proactive in managing and dealing with issues. The implementation of socio-economic tasks in districts, towns and wards has reaped good results, satisfying regular and unexpected duties. However, there have been shortcomings during the implementation of the urban administration model in Hanoi. For example, some guiding documents and instructions of some agencies are issued too late with low quality. The workload of the People's Councils of districts and towns has increased considerably when implementing urban administration but the number of deputies has decreased compared to the previous term. Thus, the duties of the deputies of the People's Councils at the district-level are harder than those of the previous term. The quality of the People's Council’s operation in some localities is not high. Standing boards and other boards of People's Councils in some units have not been proactive in implementing their tasks and not serious in carrying out voters' opinions and complaints from citizens. The capital city of Hanoi began piloting the urban administration model on July 1, 2021 in all wards of its 12 districts and Son Tay township under a National Assembly resolution, in which there will no longer be any ward-level People’s Councils in Hanoi. It means that instead of having both a people’s committee and a people’s council, each ward will be governed only by a people’s committee. The chair will hold decision-making power and be responsible for everything that happens in the committee. All administrative matters will now go straight from the municipal People’s Committee to lower levels, making the directions more concise. They can also authorise justice and civil status officers to make copies and notarise copies of the people’s original documents instead of having to do it themselves. The organisational structure of the committee will also be changed. Instead of having only a chair, vice chairs and members, the new ward-level People’s Committee will also have a police chief, a military commander, and other officers performing different functions. The new model also places more responsibility on ward-level civil servants, requiring them to improve their working attitude. The pilot model will help streamline the administrative apparatus, handle urgent issues faster, clearly define the leaders’ responsibilities, reduce the payroll, and save budget. It also looks to strengthen rural administration in towns, communes and districts while renewing task delegation and activities of the Party, Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organisations at communal and district levels. Officers working for these new ward-level People’s Committees will have the same rights and obligations as those working in their respective district-level People’s Committees./.