E-government: A Long Road Ahead

In fact, in many developed countries in the world, the government is not only the contact with citizens in the working process, but also the direct interaction with them by means of information technology (IT) applications and mediums like e-mail systems, social networks, open encyclopaedia, and online forums. In Vietnam, information and communication technology (ICT) plays an increasingly important role. ICT applications promisingly provide better and more effective services and public services to citizens. This is described as a way to gradually enhance democratic rights and equality.

 

On July 25, 2001, Project 112 was launched to reform public administration and to enhance the performance of administrative apparatus through IT applications by using ICT applications. This project was behind the launch of many other projects to create the foundation for transparent and efficient administration and look toward an advanced government.

 

E-government has gone through three phases associated with different implementation tasks and contents.

 

The period from 2001 to 2007 witnessed the introduction of IT applications to public administration - the first stepping stone for the e-government development strategy in Vietnam. The country spent more than 7.3 percent of its GDP on developing IT. Its human development index was ranked high in the world in terms of educational attainment level; the rate of Internet users increased rapidly; the number of government websites increased from 167 (in 2003) to 306 (in 2005); and the Government and most State agencies had electronic information portals.

 

In the second phase from 2008 to 2010, Vietnam continued accelerating IT application to administrative reform. The data from the Ministry of Information and Communications showed that, in 2010, 38.1 percent of provinces and cities had PC to civil servant ratio of 0.8 (80 percent of civil servants have PCs); and 71.4 percent of provinces and cities had internet-connected PC to PC ratio of 0.8. With respect to IT application in State agencies, on average, 74.1 percent of administrative instructions were published on internet. 30.5 percent of documents were sent via electronic mediums.

 

In the 2011-2015 stage, the major content remains computerising administrative activities, starting to apply IT to socioeconomic management. Vietnam is determined to become a leading IT country with 1 million people working in the IT industry in the next 10 years. The nation is resolved to make IT a spearhead economic sector with an average annual growth rate of 20 - 25 percent.

 

According to the White Book 2011, IT application in public administration is highly effective. For instance, local governments in Hanoi city saved more than VND84 million from printing and travelling a year. Up to 94,000 public services are provided online at levels 1 and 2; 775 services at level 3 and; and some services at level 4 (highest level of e-Government system). Single-window procedures reach 87 percent.

 

Although the first steps have been implemented for a transparent and efficient public administration and towards an advanced e-government, contents of instructive documents remain generic and theoretic, not specific and practical.

 

In addition, the budget allocation is not even. The deployment is largely dependent on the state budget and ODA loans. Moreover, the IT infrastructure in Vietnam is not really “one step ahead,” it lacks synchronisation, and is developed unevenly. The percentage of households with access to internet remains very low.

 

To have changes, the National Steering Committee on Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Communications coordinated with IDG Vietnam to introduce major solutions.

 

In addition, public administration reform and e-government are interrelated in the development of the country. To enhance the effectiveness of this interrelationship, it is necessary to solve functional overlapping and duplication of State administrative agencies; streamline administrative procedures.

 

In the coming time, the government will need social media; thus, it needs to develop IT in both depth and dimension. It will also have to develop e-commerce.

 

To sum up, e-government implementation in Vietnam will continue with computerising administrative activities in the next five years. This road is still affected primarily by the results of administrative reform. Only public administration reform, together with legal foundation, human resources and capital preparations, will facilitate e-government to be present in all aspects of life. If public administration reform is not successful, e-government will be always no more than an application for computerisation of administrative activities.