Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Council Phung Thi Hong Ha said that as Vietnam enters a new stage of development, digital transformation has become a key driver for modernizing the operations of institutions across the political system. 

In recent years, Vietnam's National Assembly has demonstrated a pioneering role in information technology adoption and the development of a digital parliament, achieving notable results such as hybrid online and in-person sessions, electronic voting, AI-assisted information processing and the digitization of legal databases.

 Hanoi People's Council Chairwoman Phung Thi Hong Ha presents her remarks at the conference.

For People's Councils at all levels, the National Assembly's achievements serve as both inspiration and an urgent call to modernize oversight activities, improve decision-making on important local issues and strengthen engagement with voters.

Recognizing the strategic importance of digital transformation, Hanoi's National Assembly delegation and People's Council launched the Comprehensive Digital Transformation Project for Elected Bodies in Hanoi for 2026-2031, with a vision to 2045, at the beginning of the new term. The city is also developing a shared data repository for the National Assembly delegation and People's Councils at all levels.

"Our consistent view is that digital transformation is not merely about technology adoption. It is a fundamental shift in governance thinking, management practices and public service delivery, moving from experience-based administration to data-driven governance that is transparent, accountable and centered on citizens," Ha stressed.

According to Ha, the initial achievements of Hanoi's National Assembly delegation and People's Council have been made possible by the close guidance and support of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the city's Party leadership, the Standing Committee, the Municipal Steering Committee 57 and, directly, the Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee.

As a result, the city's elected bodies identified digital transformation as a core and long-term priority in reforming leadership, governance and administration. Hanoi also created favorable conditions in terms of policy mechanisms, resources and infrastructure to deploy modern and integrated digital platforms. This support has encouraged the city's elected institutions to implement innovative models and gradually establish a digital People's Council aligned with the broader goals of building a digital government and smart city while improving services for residents.

Drawing on practical experience and aligning with the national digital architecture framework and Gartner's digital government maturity model, Hanoi has developed a roadmap that moves from simple digitization toward smart governance through three key solutions corresponding to different stages of digital maturity.

Hanoi's National Assembly delegation and People's Council have identified digital transformation as a central priority in modernizing leadership, governance and administration.

Solution 1: Reengineering business processes and building a centralized governance platform

(Digital maturity levels 1, 2 and 3 – Data-centered governance)

Hanoi has chosen not to simply digitize existing procedures. Instead, it has comprehensively redesigned operational processes. Document management, administrative operations, task monitoring and paperless meeting systems have been integrated into a single centralized platform.

The National Assembly delegation and Hanoi People's Council currently operate a centralized management platform integrating nine core software modules through a Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication system. The platform has been deployed across 126 commune- and ward-level People's Councils, with more than 3,200 active user accounts.

The platform enables the processing of documents, work schedules, task monitoring and performance evaluation through a unified interface, helping standardize the operations of elected bodies in line with modern governance principles.

For Hanoi's National Assembly delegation, the platform also supports legislative work by digitizing the process of gathering feedback on draft laws and enabling rapid analysis of opinions from voters, experts and government agencies.

At the same time, Hanoi is working with major technology companies, including Viettel, VNPT, FPT, Bkav and Gtel, to build a highly secure and integrated technology ecosystem with the goal of processing 100% of work-related records in a fully digital environment.

A key advantage of the platform is its direct connection with citizens. The process of receiving and handling voter petitions has been fully digitized and integrated into the iHanoi digital citizen application. Residents can submit recommendations, track progress and evaluate satisfaction levels directly from their mobile devices.

In addition, the city has deployed an AI-powered virtual assistant to provide policy guidance and information on special resolutions. According to Hanoi's leadership, this reflects a modern governance approach in which voter satisfaction serves as the primary measure of effectiveness and technology is used to strengthen ties between elected representatives and citizens.

Solution 2: Building a shared data repository for oversight and policymaking

(Advancing toward digital maturity level 4 – Comprehensive digitization)

Hanoi is developing a shared data repository for its National Assembly delegation and People's Councils based on an integrated model that combines governance data, oversight information, voter engagement records and sector-specific databases.

The system is designed to store and analyze both structured and unstructured data, including statistical reports, meeting minutes, oversight records and voter feedback.

The repository is connected to city departments and operational systems, enabling real-time data sharing and minimizing manual data entry.

Through interactive dashboards, the Standing Committee of the People's Council can monitor key indicators related to public investment, budgets, healthcare, education and other priority sectors, thereby improving oversight quality and supporting evidence-based policymaking.

Solution 3: Developing the "Digital Representative" model powered by artificial intelligence

(Toward digital maturity level 5 – Intelligent elected institutions)

Hanoi is developing a smart mobile application for elected representatives that integrates AI capabilities for legal document searches, social sentiment analysis, data processing and support for questioning and oversight activities.

The use of big data and AI provides representatives with independent analytical tools, strengthens policy review capabilities and shifts legislative work from merely listening to reports toward data analysis and evidence-based policy evaluation.

Hanoi seeks to continue serving as a pilot locality for digital People's Council models, shared data platforms and AI applications supporting elected bodies.

Despite the initial progress, Hanoi acknowledges several challenges. These include the absence of a dedicated national digital architecture framework for National Assembly delegations and People's Councils, fragmented data systems, limited interoperability among agencies, incomplete AI tools for elected representatives and an evolving legal framework for digital governance in elected institutions.

Four lessons learned

Based on its experience, Hanoi has identified four key lessons.

First, leadership commitment is critical. The active involvement and direct use of digital applications by leaders of the National Assembly delegation and People's Council have helped foster innovation, accountability and discipline throughout the system.

Second, digital architecture must reflect the unique characteristics of elected bodies. Administrative e-government models cannot simply be copied for legislative institutions. Platforms designed for People's Councils should prioritize functions that support review, questioning, oversight and parliamentary activities.

Third, interoperability and data sharing are essential. Effective oversight depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of information. Hanoi's experience suggests that regular data-sharing mechanisms should be established between executive agencies and elected bodies to provide representatives with objective information for decision-making.

Fourth, citizen convenience must remain the central objective. Expanding online interaction channels allows voters to submit feedback, track progress and monitor responses more easily, thereby strengthening public trust and satisfaction with elected institutions.

Digital transformation within elected bodies is a complex and highly specialized undertaking, with no ready-made model to follow.

Hanoi's roadmap has been divided into clear phases. From 2026 to 2030, the focus will be on standardizing digital platforms and establishing data-driven governance. During 2031-2035, the city aims to achieve a "digital by default" model in which data forms the foundation for all governance activities.

Looking ahead to 2045, Hanoi envisions an intelligent democratic governance ecosystem where AI technologies can accurately simulate and forecast the socioeconomic impacts of policies before representatives cast their votes.

To maximize the effectiveness of this transformation nationwide, Hanoi's National Assembly delegation and People's Council proposed that the National Assembly and Government:

Issue a national digital architecture framework for National Assembly delegations and People's Councils to ensure interoperability and coordinated governance from the central to local levels; Develop a National Assembly Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) connected with local authorities; Establish a digital legislative knowledge repository to support research, policy review and lawmaking; Create a nationwide shared database system for elected institutions and strengthen data-sharing between executive agencies and elected bodies; Deploy National Assembly digital platforms uniformly across localities to avoid fragmented investment and ensure interoperability, including platforms for elected representatives, the Kbnet paperless meeting system and voter petition management software.

"With a strong sense of responsibility and the role of the capital city, Hanoi stands ready and hopes to continue receiving the trust of the National Assembly and the Government to serve as a pilot locality for digital People's Council models, shared data platforms and AI applications supporting elected bodies. The city is also prepared to share practical experience, provide training, transfer technology solutions and accompany localities throughout their digital transformation journey so that together we can build a modern, integrated and effective system of elected institutions," Ha said.