Challenge
In Viet Nam, limited disclosure of information by the public sector restricts public participation in decision-making, making it challenging to achieve effective public investments, particularly at the sub-national level.
Solution
To address this challenge, the World Bank has supported efforts to strengthen the public service delivery sector in Can Tho City, Viet Nam, by enhancing information disclosure, citizen engagement, and systematic feedback collection. The Bank produced technical reports providing recommendations on data warehousing, incorporating citizen feedback, grievance systems, reporting, and public consultations. Additionally, the Bank conducted a gap analysis that benchmarked public service delivery regulations against international standards and delivered a workshop on citizen participation and sustainability disclosures with City leaders and line departments.
Impact
The recommendations from these reports were incorporated into Can Tho City’s Annual Digital Transformation Plan 2024. This will enable the systematic recording of citizen feedback and its address through multi-sector solutions. Additionally, the City merged two key citizen communication channels—its hotline mobile application (“1022”) and the city administrative application, “Can Tho Smart”—to improve timely, two-way government-citizen communications.
The city also plans to pilot an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) reporting framework in Can Tho Maternity Hospital. This was informed by the preliminary Sustainability (ESG) reporting framework presented during the project. The framework was tailored for public service delivery agencies in the health sector and based on sustainability financial reporting standards issued by International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) Foundation in 2023 and their sectoral guidance.
This Institutions In Action brief was produced by the Public Administration Global Unit in the Governance Global Practice.
