Throughout the year, VSS issued approximately 50 documents related to administrative reform. Several notable initiatives were launched, including the comprehensive online public service catalog under its authority and the electronic linkages for birth registration, permanent residence registration, issuance of health insurance cards for children under six, death registration, and burial cost claims.

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Communication efforts were also amplified, with 16 press releases sent to central and local agencies.

Around 1,200 news articles, reports and features covering the outcomes of the agency’s administrative reform and the implementation of the Government's Project 06 were published across various media outlets.

Over the course of the year, approximately 700 news articles, reports and documents related to administrative procedures were posted on the agency’s portal, Zalo fanpage and YouTube.

Efforts to support, advise and clarify inquiries also intensified, helping citizens and organisations swiftly and accurately process administrative procedures with the agency.

Throughout the year, nearly 2.5 million customer interactions were handled via the call centre, email, Fanpage and the agency’s portal, with inquiries on policies related to social, unemployment and health insurance.

By December 31, 2024, it was estimated that 38 per cent of individuals enrolled in social, health and unemployment insurance installed and logged into the VssID – a digital social security application.

The agency made public 25 administrative procedures under its jurisdiction on the National Public Service Portal and its own portal.

Over 18.9 million files were processed, achieving a 98.5 per cent completion rate.

All public services, provided by the agency, have been integrated into its own portal, with 66 online services connected to the National Public Service Portal, reaching 94.3 per cent, surpassing 14.3 per cent compared to the target set in Directive No 04/CT-TTg dated February 11, 2024.

The agency now ranks among the top six ministries and agencies for the quality of administrative procedures and online services.

Aiming for digital transformation, the agency has digitised all paperwork for administrative procedures as soon as it is received, storing it in the relevant software for processing and storage. The processed documents are electronically signed and returned to individuals and organisations as required.

Streamlining organisational structure

The agency has continued reviewing and amending the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of its departments, divisions and subordinate agencies.

The focus has been on restructuring, simplifying and enhancing the effectiveness of the administrative apparatus, while reducing the number of staff in line with job positions.

As a result, in 2024, the number of offices under provincial social security offices was reduced by 58 and four district-level offices were consolidated due to administrative restructuring.

In terms of civil service reform, the agency has consistently directed its departments and staff to strictly follow industry regulations on discipline, administrative order and ethics.

Inspections have been reinforced to ensure proper execution of civil duties and internal procedures.

As of October 31, 2024, internal checks were conducted at 235 units across the sector.

The agency also continues to encourage social, unemployment and health insurance beneficiaries to receive payments via personal bank accounts, especially in urban areas.

By the end of 2024, it was projected that 80 per cent of beneficiaries were paid through personal accounts, exceeding 20 per cent compared to the target set by the Prime Minister.

The agency has been involved in the implementation of Decree No 43/2021/ND-CP, which regulates the national insurance database, and it has facilitated data sharing for other ministries and localities.

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The agency has partnered with the Ministry of Public Security to authenticate and exchange social, health and unemployment insurance data with the national population database.

So far, the agency’s system has validated more than 99.6 million records in the population database, with over 89.6 million individuals participating in or receiving social, health or unemployment benefits, representing 98.9 per cent of the total (excluding military personnel and their families).

The agency has also coordinated with the Ministry of Health to share health check data for driving licence medical assessments, birth certificates and death certificates, aiding the implementation of online public services.

Over 1,323 health facilities have transmitted driver medical check data (4.87 million records), 1,867 facilities have shared birth certificates (1.87 million records) and 744 facilities have submitted death certificates (22,931 records).

The agency has rolled out various online public services under Project 06, such as the integration of discounts in the extension of health insurance cards for families.

The process has been restructured, with services integrated and made available on both the agency’s online service portal and the National Public Service Portal since July 2022.

This service is now part of a broader public service offering, including birth registration, permanent residence registration, health insurance cards for children under six, death registration and burial expense claims.

The sector has processed more than 1.3 million applications so far, including 1.3 million health insurance cards for children under six and 14,542 burial cost claims.

The VssID application continues to be upgraded, now integrated with the electronic identification account (VNeID).

More than 37 million individual transaction accounts have been approved so far, with 19.1 million logins using the VNeID since its integration in October 2023.

Key priorities for 2025

The agency aims to further drive administrative reform, digital transformation, enhance the quality of online public services, streamline its organisational structure and strengthen administrative discipline in 2025.

The action plan is centred around the following principles: "Unity, discipline, flexibility, creativity, professionalism and effectiveness," with a focus on serving the public and businesses.

It will align with the Party, Government and relevant agencies' directions for administrative reform, translating these into actionable goals, tasks, solutions and programmes for the entire sector.

It plans to focus on reviewing, reducing and simplifying administrative procedures, ensuring the process is easy, accessible and convenient for businesses and the public; promote non-cash payments and diversify the ways of submitting applications and receiving results; invest in infrastructure and improve service delivery to meet the needs and expectations of social, health and unemployment insurance participants.

It will also accelerate digital transformation, upgrade infrastructure and refine sector-specific databases, particularly the national insurance database.

It schedules to continue streamlining and enhancing organisational structures and improve the quality of personnel.

Moreover, it will strengthen administrative discipline, enhance leadership responsibility./.