Ho Chi Minh City leads the way in urban governance reform

For years, the city has pushed hard on administrative reform, cutting red tape, removing unnecessary permits, and expanding end-to-end online public services. Citizens and businesses can now submit applications, track progress, and receive results at home, saving time and money while limiting direct contact with officials. However, for a megacity of over 10 million residents, simply “serving” is not enough. Ho Chi Minh City must move further toward a “facilitating government” model—one that proactively sets standards and provides frameworks for others to follow.

A strategic turning point is the implementation of the two-tier local government system. This model reduces bureaucracy, eliminates unnecessary layers, and grants more autonomy and accountability to grassroots levels. The greatest challenge lies in ensuring smooth coordination, avoiding overlap of functions, and establishing transparent processes that can be scaled nationwide. If successful, the city will prove that public administration is not just about “management” but also about enabling and driving development.

Technology plays a decisive role in this vision. Ho Chi Minh City is working toward a comprehensive smart government built on shared databases and digital infrastructure across transportation, healthcare, education, and the environment. Policy decisions informed by real-time data, rather than subjective judgment, will improve efficiency, transparency, and foresight.

A model administration must not only resolve today’s issues quickly but also anticipate and prepare for tomorrow. This is how Ho Chi Minh City can confirm its pioneering role: not only through economic growth figures but also through a professional, modern, and citizen-centered governance system.

Achieving this requires strong political will, creativity, and the collective effort of businesses and citizens. If realized, Ho Chi Minh City will stand not only as a model for Vietnam but also as an emerging urban benchmark in the region.