The revolution to streamline the administrative apparatus - Part 1: It cannot be delayed.
Vietnam has undergone several phases of administrative reform, but the reality shows that for a long time, the apparatus has tended to become bloated and have overlapping functions, leading to low efficiency. In the context of the country having gathered sufficient strength and resources, streamlining and reorganizing the political system has become even more urgent and cannot be delayed any longer.
Current Affairs and Politics Reporting TeamMarch 17, 2025
Vietnam has undergone several phases of administrative reform, but in reality, the apparatus has tended to become bloated and have overlapping functions for a long time, leading to low efficiency. In the current context, with the country having gathered sufficient strength and resources, streamlining and reorganizing the political system has become even more urgent and cannot be delayed any longer.
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Streamlining and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the political system's apparatus is one of the consistent policies of our Party and State. From the 7th National Congress to the present, our Party has continuously issued numerous resolutions and conclusions to guide the implementation of the policy of reforming and reorganizing the political system's apparatus to be streamlined and operate effectively and efficiently. In particular, the documents of the 9th, 12th, and 13th National Congresses of our Party all emphasized specific tasks regarding streamlining the organizational structure, or researching and developing a comprehensive model for the political system's apparatus in the new period.
According to statistics compiled by Major General Le Van Cuong (former Director of the Institute of Strategy under the Ministry of Public Security), the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has issued seven specialized resolutions on streamlining the apparatus and reducing personnel. Most recently, in implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Congress of the Party, in 2017, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam issued...Resolution No. 18-NQ/TWRegarding "Some issues concerning the continued reform and restructuring of the political system's organizational apparatus to be streamlined, effective, and efficient," this laid the foundation for the process of organizational restructuring and personnel reduction over the past seven years.
Major General Le Van Cuong stated: “Each time we implemented reforms, we achieved certain results, but these only addressed the organizational structure of the apparatus, which then expanded again, especially during the period from 2005 to 2023. Over the past nearly 20 years, the apparatus has increased in both the number of organizations and personnel, leading to many intermediate levels and an excessively large number of officials. The current apparatus is too cumbersome and inefficient; therefore, its effectiveness and efficiency are low, and it is not truly connected to the people or close to their needs. Resolutions and policies of the Party and laws of the State are implemented slowly, with low effectiveness and in a timely manner.”
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In Nghe An province, after reviewing the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, alongside the commendable achievements, the Provincial Party Committee also recognized that the organizational structure of the provincial political system still presents numerous challenges.
"The internal organizational structure of agencies and units is still not truly streamlined; some departments and sectors still have subordinate branches and equivalent organizations that have not been reorganized and consolidated according to regulations. The functions, tasks, powers, organizational structure, and relationships of some agencies and organizations are not clearly defined, overlapping, duplicating, and intersecting, leading to situations of excuses, substituting for others, or neglecting tasks. Some tasks are assigned to multiple agencies to co-lead, making it difficult to identify the person primarily responsible. The assignment, decentralization, and delegation of authority among sectors, levels, and within each agency and organization are not rational, strong, or synchronized, and the effectiveness and efficiency of operations do not meet the requirements and tasks," the report of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee to the Central Committee frankly acknowledges.
Of course, this is not just a picture in Nghe An, but a general picture of the political system's organizational structure nationwide, clearly reflected in the "measure" of budget spending. During a group discussion at the 8th session of the National Assembly (late October 2024), General Secretary To Lam raised a figure that caused many to ponder and reflect: "Currently, nearly 70% of the budget is spent on salaries and regular operating expenses. If the budget is managed like this, there will be no money left for investment and development. If the country wants to develop, if it wants to have this project or that project, where will the money come from?"
Currently, Vietnam is facing a major challenge: overcoming the middle-income trap to reach the level of high-income countries. This requires a strong and continuous breakthrough over the next 20-30 years. As Major General Le Van Cuong emphasized: "The world is changing rapidly and unexpectedly. If we are slow, we will fail."
Based on his work experience, Comrade Bui Duy Dong, Secretary of the Do Luong District Party Committee, shared: “The development of the new era leaves no room for outdated models. We need a streamlined government model where each level is responsible for its own specific field without being constrained by intermediate layers. Eliminating the district level will shorten the management chain, reduce complex procedures, and thus ensure consistency and efficiency in resource allocation. Only then can the needs for economic infrastructure, rural urbanization, and labor productivity be thoroughly addressed, creating an economic system that promotes both supply and demand.”
Experience has shown that an effective management system is not about having many people, but about having the right people in the right jobs. When the system is streamlined, individual responsibilities become clearer, preventing the avoidance of accountability. Therefore, streamlining and improving the efficiency of the system cannot be delayed any longer; it needs to be implemented more vigorously, substantively, and decisively, while continuously innovating and experimenting with new approaches.
This political reform is defined by General Secretary To Lam as a "revolution." In his article,Compact - Powerful - High Performance - Effective - Efficient"The General Secretary emphasized three main objectives: building a comprehensive model of the political system's organizational structure that meets the requirements of the new era, perfecting institutions to put policies into practice, and linking streamlining the apparatus with restructuring the cadre to ensure they possess sufficient capacity and qualities."
Major General Le Van Cuong commented: "Although there have been many reforms in the past, we only went as far as making adjustments without addressing the fundamental issues. This time is different; starting from the Party's agencies, the Central Committee has streamlined the apparatus, such as merging the Propaganda Department and the Mass Mobilization Department, dissolving the Foreign Affairs Department, and reducing the staffing of Party departments."
Regarding the State, many National Assembly committees have been merged (the National Assembly reduced 5 subordinate agencies); the Government reduced 5 ministries and 4 subordinate agencies, and specialized agencies under the Provincial People's Committees have also been reorganized to ensure consistency with the organization of specialized agencies of the Government.Nghe An province reduced the number of departments and agencies by 6, the number of offices by 31, and the number of affiliated public service units under the departments by 10.This reform was a true revolution in the organizational structure of the Party and the State.
"Never before has this revolution unfolded so quickly and decisively. Previous reforms often dragged on, but this time the Central Committee directed their implementation in a short period, with the motto 'only discuss action, no turning back'," Major General Le Van Cuong shared.
In line with this spirit, many localities have taken the lead in implementing the policy of streamlining the administrative apparatus. Nghe An is one of the leading provinces with a decisive and consistent approach based on a high level of consensus. Immediately after receiving the "directive" from the Central Committee, on December 5, 2024, the Standing Committee of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee established a Steering Committee to summarize the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, chaired by Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.
Emphasizing that the process of streamlining the administrative apparatus is a revolution, the Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee clearly affirmed the province's mindset: For the revolution to succeed, there must be sacrifice for the common goal, and there must be unity in understanding and action at all levels. Nghe An is the homeland of the revolution, so it will certainly carry out the revolution of streamlining the administrative apparatus more thoroughly!
Streamlining the state apparatus is not only an urgent requirement but also a mandatory task for Vietnam's continued sustainable development. This is not simply a technical problem, but a historically significant reform requiring strong political will, decisive and scientific action, and the consensus of the entire society. Only then will the state management apparatus truly be strong, operate effectively, and better serve the people.
(To be continued)
