Lang Son Innovation for Better Competitiveness

The District and Department Competitiveness Index (DDCI) 2024 for Lang Son province has significant improvement in both its content and implementation approach, aimed at fostering an open and conducive investment and business environment at the grassroots level. Mr. Vu Hoang Quy, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, Lang Son province, shared some information on these developments with the Vietnam Business Forum.

VCCI Vice General Secretary Dau Anh Tuan addresses the conference on evaluating Lang Son province's PCI and PGI

On October 25, 2024, the Department of Planning and Investment coordinated with relevant bodies to organize a conference on DDCI deployment in 2024. What has changed in the application of the DDCI in 2024, in both content and implementation, to achieve better DDCI performance?

This year, the province changed from DDCI contents to survey methods. The Provincial People's Committee also required a higher quality DDCI, closer to reality to clearly identify strengths and weaknesses of departmental agencies and localities to adopt direction and rectification solutions to help improve the province's investment and business environment to achieve substantial and stable progress. Accordingly, the assessed subjects in the DDCI in 2024 are 36 units, including 25 departmental agencies and 11 district/city people's committees while survey respondents are investors, enterprises of all economic sectors, cooperatives and business households in the province. The survey scale is about 5,000 enterprises, cooperatives and business households. The survey is conducted in person and online (a new survey form).

The implementation of the DDCI in 2024 has been reviewed, enhanced, and standardized based on the results of the 2023 DDCI and the pillar components of the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). This update aligns with the province's priorities for innovation and competitiveness, incorporating insights from experts and the business community. Consultants have revised the DDCI and survey format for 2024 to better reflect current priorities. Notably, an evaluation indicator on the application of information technology has been added across all subjects, along with new assessment criteria focused on environmental sustainability and green development, specifically for district and city people's committees.  Moreover, after a year of assessment, there are some criteria and component criteria of the DDCI that are no longer suitable for the practical situation, so it is necessary to adjust and supplement the evaluation criteria of the DCCI to improve the quality and efficiency of management work, helping improve the PCI. Thus, the component indices of the DDCI of Lang Son province in 2024 include transparency and access to information, time cost, informal charge, fair competition, business support, dynamism and effectiveness, leadership role, legal institutions, information technology application, land access and land use stability, and environment (applied to local authorities).

As shared above, in 2024, the DDCI is surveyed using both offline and online formats - a new approach to data collection and assessment. Could you please tell us more about this?

The province continues to survey and evaluate the governance of departmental agencies and local authorities based on the satisfaction of investors, enterprises, cooperatives, and business households in the province to work out solutions to improve the PCI annually. In 2024, to carry out the plan to enhance digital transformation, information technology application and digital transformation systems and platforms have been launched and operated, enabling this year's DDCI survey to be conducted in both offline and online forms through smart devices. The data and survey methods are conducted through the website, ddci.langson.gov.vn.

Thus, the DCCI survey methods are flexible this year, suitable for the subjects and fitting the aspirations of assessed subjects. Specifically, the DDCI 2024 survey is conducted through both online and offline methods. Approximately 70% of the survey samples are collected online using computers, smartphones, and tablets with internet connectivity, while the remaining 30% is conducted through in-person, manual surveys. The offline approach primarily targets cooperatives and business households, particularly when they provide feedback on district and city people's committees.

Overview of the conference announcing the Lang Son DDCI 2024

As the advisory body to the Provincial People's Committee on this content, what do you expect about policies and changes regarding the administration and operation of departmental agencies and local authorities through each assessment?

I hope that the DDCI will help objectively assess the governance capacity of leaders of departmental bodies and localities in performing their functions and tasks with direct relation to investors and enterprises, thereby comparing and ranking their service quality in handling administrative procedures and implementing other activities to enhance the investment and business climate of the province. In addition, the DDCI will stimulate competition and foster emulation in the quality of economic management among local authorities and agencies, thereby driving comprehensive and impactful reforms in the handling of administrative procedures for investors and businesses. This will help create a more enabling environment for investment, as well as for production and commercial activities across all sectors. The DDCI will serve as a tool for annually assessing the province's economic governance, providing valuable insights to develop strategies for enhancing Lang Son's competitiveness in the coming years. Additionally, it will help identify and address existing challenges faced by localities and relevant agencies.

Thank you very much!

By Duy Binh, Vietnam Business Forum