The efforts to build an e-government, aiming towards a digital government, in recent years by the Government are commendable, however, getting citizens onto the digital platform and turning the significant investments and efforts into tangible results still requires a long journey.
What Does PAPI 2022 Show?
Two key indicators reflect the level of public use of online public services: the number of users and the number of people creating accounts on the National Public Service Portal (DVCQG). PAPI 2022 utilized a direct survey method across the nation, with 16,117 respondents in 2022.
For the indicator measuring the use of the DVCQG Portal, the results for 2022 show that only nearly 5% of respondents reported using the portal for various purposes, including 3% who created user accounts. Thus, after three years of surveys, the usage rate has only slightly increased, with the figures for 2020, 2021, and 2022 being 4.05%, 4.11%, and 4.85%, respectively.
The rate of users creating profiles on the DVCQG Portal over the three years mentioned is 1.22%, 2.08%, and 3.01%. Therefore, on average across the country, the rate of citizens accessing and interacting with the government through the DVCQG Portal is still low.
This is clearer when comparing the overall internet access rate of Vietnamese citizens and the rate of online transactions mentioned above.
Specifically, the rate of people using the internet at home, according to the PAPI 2022 survey, is very high, over 75% of respondents. Similarly, the rate of citizens receiving online news at home also reached a high level, approximately 55%.
Looking at the past five years, both of these indicators have shown impressive growth: the percentage of people using the internet at home increased from just over 30% in 2016 to nearly 60% in 2019, and reached over 75% in 2022.
The corresponding figures for online news consumption are more than 23% (in 2016), over 43% (in 2019), and nearly 55% (in 2022). Thus, the gap remains too wide between having internet access, receiving information online, and using the online services provided by the government.
Ultimately, e-government or digital government exists to serve the people; and online administrative transactions are the primary "working" channel for handling paperwork for citizens and the government. Clearly, there is still much to be done to reach that goal.
Getting Citizens onto the Digital Platform – The Necessary Conditions Are in Place
Getting citizens onto the digital platform and using online public services essentially involves three main tasks: First, building the online public service delivery system (as a component module within the e-government system); second, promoting, guiding, and "pulling" citizens to use it; and third, operating stably, improving, and perfecting the user experience (after citizens have accessed and used the services).
The government has made significant efforts and achieved positive results in the first task – building the service delivery system. This is a large volume of work involving the digitalization of processes and procedures, building and connecting national databases, specialized databases, and creating technical infrastructure systems (application software, data centers, etc.), gradually linking and connecting local and sectoral services to the DVCQG Portal. A notable achievement was the launch and operation of the DVCQG Portal in 2019, and its continuous improvement to ensure most public services can be provided through the portal.
By the end of 2022, more than 97% of administrative procedures eligible for online transactions had been made available on the portal, either fully or partially. This is the necessary condition – the supply side is ready to provide services at a basic level.
Additional Necessary Conditions and Implementation in Order of Priority
However, the limitation lies in the second and third tasks: promoting the system effectively and retaining citizens on the platform. Despite efforts in communication, there has not yet been effective dissemination of information to help citizens understand and use the available services. Moreover, improving the user experience has not been prioritized.
Specifically, service users still face difficulties when performing procedures and completing complex steps; technical errors often occur, causing delays. From a user perspective, feeling frustrated or inconvenienced will reduce satisfaction levels and make citizens hesitant to return to the system. Even when administrative services are state monopolies, "forcing" citizens – the customers – to transact or purchase services with poor user experiences will be a significant drawback.
Therefore, instead of focusing on quantity and spreading too thinly as it is now, the priority should be to focus on a smaller group of services that generate significant and practical daily transactions for citizens (e.g., legal procedures, labor and employment services, social benefits, construction permits, etc.) and focus on improving the user experience. Once citizens feel comfortable and familiar with the system, it can gradually expand to other areas.
The direction of providing online public services to citizens and businesses is correct. The government has basically built the necessary conditions (the service delivery system); the next priority is to create the sufficient conditions – that is, to "pull" citizens to use it and enhance the service quality experience for citizens.
Nguyen Quang Dong - Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development
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