National Assembly deputies voice strong support for administrative apparatus streamlining

Expressing agreement with General Secretary To Lam’s expectations, many deputies believed that the article accurately addresses the inefficiencies and redundancies of the State apparatus. They also noted that efforts to streamline and downsize the apparatus remain superficial and lack substantive change.

Revolution needed

Deputy Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy of Tay Ninh province remarked that it is now the ideal time to execute the Party’s guideline on streamlining the apparatus, especially as preparations are underway for the Party Congress at all levels. She noted that in order to prepare for a new term, marked by many breakthroughs as referred to by General Secretary To Lam in the era of advancement, the Party’s guidelines and resolutions adopted during the Party Congresses must take the lead.

According to the deputy, immediate actions are needed to restructure the State apparatus. This is not just a renewal effort, but can be considered as a “revolution”, particularly as this policy will propel the nation into an entirely new phase. To achieve the set goal, the State apparatus must strive to keep pace with global development.

“General Secretary To Lam has stated that corruption and waste are two major concerns that hinder socio-economic development. To focus on achieving Vietnam’ overarching goals, the Party must demonstrate its political determination through immediate actions in restructuring the apparatus, combating corruption and misconduct, and restoring public trust,” she shared.

Voicing his strong support for the Party chief’s article, Deputy Pham Van Hoa of Dong Thap province noted that the General Secretary has clearly analyzed the redundancy and lack of efficiency which is apparent in the State apparatus. He stressed the need to revisit and evaluate the streamlining process, especially following the recent merging of offices and departments, in order to determine if the measure has proved to be effective.

“The administrative apparatus within ministries and ministerial-level agencies still has too many layers. Some units lack clear legal status, while subordinate units with legal standing increase, creating an overlap within a ministry. Current staff reduction efforts focus primarily on numbers without enhancing quality or restructuring the workforce. The General Secretary has highlighted these overlaps in functions and responsibilities, emphasizing the need for decisive action to streamline operations from central to grassroots levels, in order to ensure efficiency and practical benefits,” said Hoa.

He provided a deeper analysis, referencing the Party’s Resolution 18 dated October 25, 2017, on reforming and reorganising the political system, saying that while the resolution requests a 10% reduction in public sector staffing, its implementation in some areas has remained uniform and rigid. He went on to criticize past efforts as neither being reasonable nor practical, noting that streamlining has simply focused on numbers as opposed to seeking to improve the quality or restructuring teams.

“The situation varies across administrative levels. In some ministries or sectors with 3,000 to 4,000 personnel, reducing 30 to 50 staff members would not significantly impact their operations. However, at the provincial or district levels, cutting just five to seven people can hinder activities. For instance, a district-level office with only 130 to 140 staff members faces challenges if further reductions are mandated annually, leaving insufficient personnel to perform duties,” he argued.

In his opinions, such observations underline the necessity for a more nuanced and targeted approach to streamlining, an effort which will ensure both efficiency and practicality while maintaining the State’s operational effectiveness.

No uniform approach to streamlining

Deputies pointed to the fact that regular expenditures and salary payments currently make up approximately 70% of the Vietnamese annual budget, a figure that is higher than in many other countries. This means that only 30% of the budget is for development investment and social welfare, making it challenging for the country to progress.

They emphasised that streamlining efforts must ensure effectiveness and efficiency in order to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing regular expenditures, salary payments, and associated costs, thereby increasing funding for development investment and social welfare.

Deputy Ho Thi Minh of Quang Tri province proposed a sector-specific approach to streamlining at a grassroots level, rather than applying a uniform reduction ratio. Using the educational sector as an example, she argued that a mechanical 10% annual reduction is not feasible, as instead adjustments should be based on the student-to-teacher ratio.

She recalled the General Secretary’s article, saying that the Party chief has clearly emphasised the need to reorganise and streamline all ministries, sectors, and intermediary units in advisory roles. Unnecessary intermediary advisory units should therefore be downsized, especially with regard to the upcoming wage policy reforms, which are based on job positions, are expected to improve efficiency whilst ensuring a stable livelihood for officials.

“Some ministries have confirmed that downsizing by a few dozen staff members would not disrupt operations. So why do we not act decisively following the General Secretary’s directives? In some cases, downsizing has been mechanically applied by letting staff retire without hiring replacements. To align with the General Secretary’s vision, we must conduct thorough reviews, establish suitable mechanisms for downsizing, and set out clear criteria for evaluating staff. This ensures streamlining targets the right individuals, resulting in a leaner, more efficient apparatus,” explained Minh.

Meanwhile, Deputy Leo Thi Lich of Bac Giang province highlighted the shortcomings of the current implementation of the Government’s decree, which mandates an annual 10% reduction in public sector staffing. So far, this decree has only been implemented in the education and healthcare services.

“Given Vietnam’s growing population, the education and healthcare sectors need to expand to meet the increasing demand for education and healthcare services. Therefore, focusing staff reductions solely on these two sectors is unreasonable,” Deputy Lich argued.

“The General Secretary’s directive to streamline the apparatus while enhancing efficiency and effectiveness should focus on other areas. Streamlining efforts should target central levels to balance workloads and meet the demands of reform, particularly in building a socialist rule-of-law state,” she emphasised.

Deputies agreed that future downsizing efforts must avoid mechanical application and prioritise sectors and levels which can sustain reductions without affecting public services. A comprehensive and nuanced approach, as advocated by the General Secretary, can be viewed as essential in order to achieve an efficient, unified, and effective State apparatus which duly supports national development goals.