Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province (left), receives the TOP 10 PCI Index certificate from Pham Tan Cong, Secretary of the Party Delegation and Chairman of VCCI, at the announcement ceremony for the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) and the Provincial Green Index (PGI) 2023.

According to the rankings by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ba Ria-Vung Tau's PCI ranks 6th among the top 10 provinces and cities with the highest PCI scores in 2023. Notably, for the past three years (2021-2023), Ba Ria-Vung Tau has consistently been in the top 10 PCI across the country.

“Diagnosing” to “treat the problem”

Mr. Le Ngoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, stated that while the province has achieved positive results recently, an analysis of the PCI indicators for 2023 revealed several shortcomings that need to be addressed in 2024. Therefore, on July 16, the provincial People’s Committee issued Plan No. 170/KH-UBND to improve the PCI for 2024, aiming to maintain its position within the top 10 provinces and cities in the country.

In addition to continuing to sustain and improve the indicators that received higher scores, the province will address four indicators that decreased in 2023: Equal competition; the dynamism and proactiveness of the government; land access; and unofficial costs. The province has requested relevant departments, agencies, and local authorities to coordinate flexibly and creatively in carrying out their duties, promptly resolving difficulties and obstacles faced by businesses.

At the same time, there will be an enhanced focus on inspecting administrative reform, implementing the civil service culture project, and surveying the satisfaction levels of citizens and organizations regarding the services provided by state administrative agencies. This includes plans and solutions to improve indicators in areas that received poor evaluations.

Specifically, there are concerns regarding the percentage of businesses that feel "departments and sectors do not properly implement the policies of provincial leadership" and that "the district, town, and city governments do not adhere to the policies of provincial leadership."

In addition, the province aims to completely resolve the issues of harassment during the processing of procedures for businesses; businesses incurring unofficial costs when applying for conditional business licenses; paying unofficial costs to inspection and auditing officials; the waiting time to obtain land use certificates; the proportion of businesses facing difficulties due to a lack of clean land; and the longer-than-advertised processing times for land-related applications.

Notably, for the three indicators that decreased in score—business support policies, market entry, and time costs—the province assigns departments and relevant sectors, along with business associations and local governments, to maintain and focus on improving the indicators related to the percentage of businesses that must wait more than a month to complete all official operational procedures, as well as those forced to cancel business plans due to difficulties encountered when modifying business registration.

“Strengthening the implementation of online administrative procedures; reviewing the number of hours for tax inspections; specifically notifying the scope of work for inspection teams, ensuring that no business is inspected more than once a year; promptly identifying inappropriate administrative procedures to recommend additions or amendments to relevant ministries; and systematically reviewing and categorizing applications to clarify the responsibilities of individuals and collectives in the process of advising on the resolution of delayed applications,” Mr. Khanh stated.

Effectiveness from Awareness and Responsibility of Officials

To effectively implement the Plan and adhere to the tasks assigned in Directive No. 05/CT-UBND dated March 26, 2021, from the provincial People’s Committee regarding the improvement of the PCI from 2020 to 2025, Mr. Khanh requested that the agencies and units assigned as focal points for monitoring and implementing the PCI and its component indicators proactively develop plans to improve the PCI. They are responsible for researching and proposing solutions for each component indicator within their jurisdiction.

"The heads of agencies and units in the province must instill a sense of awareness and responsibility in each official and civil servant regarding the task of improving the business environment and enhancing the quality of local economic management as well as the contents of this plan," Mr. Khanh asserted.

Additionally, Mr. Khanh requested that the VCCI branch in Vung Tau lead and collaborate with the Department of Planning and Investment (DPI), the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and other relevant agencies to organize annual training and communication sessions for departments, sectors, localities, and individuals involved in implementing solutions to enhance the PCI, DDCI, and PGI.

"The chairpersons of the People’s Committees of districts, towns, and cities are responsible for implementing the plan among their subordinate units; they should periodically report the results to the DPI for compilation and to report to the provincial People’s Committee. Based on this, the provincial People’s Committee will hold meetings with various levels and sectors to monitor progress and results, thus providing timely direction and adjustments for agencies, units, and localities that are not performing well," Mr. Khanh emphasized.