Vietnam, Japan share experience in local administration

The event is expected to help improve the quality and efficiency of local administrative systems in the two countries.

According to Minister of Home Affairs Le Vinh Tan, the Vietnamese state has paid due attention to the development of the local administrative system alongside speeding up national administrative and civil servant regime reforms. 

Although significant achievements have been attained, the work shows some of the remaining limitations, such as irrational urban and rural administration models, and unclear distinctions between urban authority and rural authority, he noted.

Former Vice Rector of the University of Home Affairs Ha Quang Ngoc said that the separation of urban and rural areas is necessary for the management of urban areas. 

The urban administration model should be piloted in specific localities. For example, first-tier cities such as Da Nang and Hai Phong may be considered. Meanwhile, the model should be on trial in Ho Chi Minh City as a special urban area, he suggested.

Toshinari Tanaka, an official from Japan’s Sapporo city, said that there was a time when the city could not handle the insufficiency of capital raised from taxes to serve the development of a big urban area.

Japan thus worked to create a bond amongst the city, district, and commune in a specific region. The linkage aimed to maintain a vibrant society in the context of a shrinking and aging population, he said, adding that it has helped to boost regional economic growth, complete the high-quality health care system and education environment, and form a sound public transport network.