On June 13, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued a document implementing the reception and settlement of administrative procedures when reorganizing the 2-level local government apparatus, focusing on submitting people's documents.
The most notable point of this document is the requirement from the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee: "Do not let the situation of overload or people and businesses wait more than 20 minutes to submit administrative procedures".
This requirement comes with a series of specific requirements: rearranging reception counters, reviewing and perfecting personnel, investing in technology infrastructure, building a support - feedback mechanism, announcing consulting units and receiving recommendations.
Ho Chi Minh City, like many other localities, is in the process of rearranging administrative units, converting the organizational model to two-level local government.
This process inevitably leads to streamlining the apparatus, changing administrative boundaries, and even major adjustments in personnel, facilities, and professional processes.
In a period of many changes like now, the city government's commitment to a specific time frame - no more than 20 minutes of waiting - to process documents is a strong signal to re-set administrative service standards.
20 minutes is a number that reflects the attitude of the Ho Chi Minh City government towards the people. In a modern administration, no one can anymore accept jostling, long queues, traveling many times just to submit a set of documents.
When the government sets a time limit, it clearly demonstrates the new management mindset: taking the experience of the people as the center, measuring effectiveness is not by the number of signed documents or issued regulations, but by the level of satisfaction of the people at each reception counter.
Of course, to ensure that people do not have to wait more than 20 minutes, there needs to be enough human resources at the one-stop department, a stable network system, a compact digital reception process, and most importantly, the proactive and optical spirit of the grassroots staff.
If not well controlled, the risk of "new bottles of old wine" is very likely to occur when new infrastructure and new models are created, but the attitude of welcoming people and the way of operating are still old-fashioned - stagnant, formal, and lack of interaction.
Therefore, the requirement of "not letting people wait for more than 20 minutes" must be understood and operated according to standards, cannot be said to be done, not a movement slogan.
Do not let the people wait for more than 20 minutes is a typical and specific example of service administration. If this can be done consistently, Ho Chi Minh City will be a model for organizing a state apparatus that is compact but effective, close to the people but still modern, in line with the spirit of "special urban area" that is taking shape.
