HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng has ordered ministries to submit concrete plans to cut administrative procedures and business conditions by April 20, accelerating a sweeping reform agenda aimed at improving the business climate and reducing compliance costs for enterprises.

The directive was issued at a Government Standing Committee meeting on Monday, where senior officials discussed the implementation of Conclusion No 18-KL/TW adopted by the Party Central Committee. 

The meeting brought together deputy prime ministers and leaders from key agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government Office.

According to reports presented at the meeting, Việt Nam currently maintains 198 conditional business lines and 4,603 associated business conditions. 

Under Conclusion No 18, ministries are required to cut at least 30 per cent of conditional business sectors, equivalent to roughly 60 sectors, while eliminating all unnecessary business conditions.

Authorities are also tasked with reducing administrative processing time and compliance costs by 50 per cent, while limiting ministerial-level handling to no more than 30 per cent of total administrative procedures within their respective sectors.

The requirements set out in Conclusion 18 are very high and must be implemented immediately, the PM said, stressing that the reforms are closely tied to Việt Nam's ambition of achieving double-digit economic growth.

He noted that recent progress in building national databases and advancing digital transformation provides a foundation to accelerate implementation. 

Although the roadmap allows for execution in the second quarter, ministries were urged to act faster and deliver tangible, high-quality results ahead of schedule.

Based on reports from the Ministry of Justice and feedback from ministries, PM Hưng said he would assign deputy prime ministers to directly oversee reform efforts in each sector. The Ministry of Justice, in coordination with other agencies, will play a central role in consolidating proposals and ensuring regulatory oversight.

Ministers have been instructed to personally lead comprehensive reviews of administrative procedures under their jurisdiction, focusing on simplification, decentralisation and the removal of unnecessary regulatory barriers.

"Unnecessary business conditions must, of course, be eliminated, but even the remaining ones must be thoroughly reviewed," he said. "The number of cuts matters, but the substance of those conditions matters more. Even limited reductions can deliver significant efficiency gains if they truly lower time and compliance costs."

The Government Office and the Ministry of Justice were tasked with strengthening their "gatekeeping" role to ensure that no inappropriate or redundant procedures remain. Ministers will be held accountable if substandard regulations are allowed to persist.

The PM also underscored the importance of incorporating feedback from businesses and industry associations throughout the reform process, calling for careful consideration of proposals from the private sector.

On decentralisation, ministries were instructed to review which procedures can be delegated from the central level to provincial and grassroots authorities, in line with the requirement that ministries directly handle no more than 30 per cent of procedures. 

At the same time, the Government will step up training and capacity-building for local officials to ensure effective implementation.

The reform drive is closely linked to Việt Nam's broader digital transformation strategy. Ministries were told to accelerate the development of integrated databases related to citizens, businesses and the economy and to restructure administrative processes to maximise data reuse.

Under the new approach, individuals and enterprises should only be required to provide information once, with government officials responsible for retrieving existing data from national systems. 

PM Hưng called for clear legal provisions to enforce this principle.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security has been assigned to urgently submit a detailed programme to implement Resolution No 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, ensuring alignment with the goals set out in Conclusion 18.

Deputy prime ministers will oversee the rollout of these initiatives across ministries as the Government pushes for faster, more effective administrative reform. — BIZHUB/VNS