General Secretary To Lam visited and inspected Hanoi's Phuc Thinh Commune as the commune marked its first operating day under the new two-tier local government model.

Phuc Thinh is one of five newly formed communes, comprising the entire area of the former communes of Nguyen Khe, Bac Hong, Nam Hong, Tien Duong, Van Noi, and part of the former Dong Anh Town in the former Dong Anh District.

The commune covers 42.68km2 and has a population of approximately 90,926 residents across 22,609 households. Its Party Committee consists of 101 grassroots branches with over 3,800 members.

During the visit, General Secretary To Lam emphasized the strategic importance of Phuc Thinh, located at the gateway to the capital and within the Nhat Tan-Noi Bai development corridor, which has been designated as a key growth axis of Hanoi.

He commended the commune's large scale, strong Party organization, and early success in finalizing its local planning, including 12 major development projects aligned with the Nhat Tan-Noi Bai corridor.

With thousands of businesses and over 2,000 individual production and commercial households, Phuc Thinh is expected to generate local budget revenues comparable to those of a small province.

Lam was particularly impressed with the commune's swift establishment of working regulations and identification of nine key tasks during its initial days under the new administrative structure.

He also praised the well-organized public administrative service center, which facilitates better service for local residents.

Expressing satisfaction with the smooth operation of the new local government system in Phuc Thinh, the General Secretary stressed that the Party Executive Committee of the commune carries great responsibility.

He noted that success in each locality would ensure the success of all 126 newly formed communes and wards across Hanoi, and emphasized the continued need for administrative reform to strengthen both governance and management.

Lam urged the local leadership to focus on building a capable workforce and government apparatus to meet development needs and serve the people effectively.

He highlighted the importance of addressing essential services such as healthcare and education, staying closely connected to the community, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The General Secretary said that the new grassroots government structure must leverage its decentralized and devolved responsibilities to become more accessible and responsive to the people's needs, solving issues quickly and efficiently.

Later in the day, Lam visited the Hanoi Public Administrative Service Center and Tay Ho Ward to assess operations under the two-tier government model.

The city-level service center, operating under the Hanoi People's Committee, is responsible for managing and overseeing administrative procedure reforms and implementing the "one-stop shop" and "inter-agency one-stop shop" mechanisms.

It serves as the central hub for guiding, receiving, processing, digitizing, monitoring, and resolving administrative procedures on behalf of the city.

The center also leads the city's digital transformation in public services and implements IT applications to serve both residents and businesses.

As part of its transition to the new governance model, it developed trial operational procedures for receiving and resolving administrative requests at both the commune and city levels, including pending cases carried over from before July 1.

The center introduced a temporary internal process with seven steps – one step fewer than required by Government Decree No. 118/2025/ND-CP – to streamline procedures.

Upon receiving updated regulations from ministries and agencies, the center promptly coordinated with municipal departments to issue 29 new decisions on administrative procedures for the city.

The center aims to ensure that by September 2025, all administrative procedures in Hanoi can be processed without regard to geographic boundaries within the province.

While visiting the service center, Lam toured service areas, spoke with staff, and interacted with citizens.

He urged the center to continue improving service quality by refining each step of the process and focusing on details to better serve the public.

Tay Ho Ward, formed by merging areas from several former wards in former Tay Ho District, covers 10.72km2 and has a population of over 100,000 residents across 67 residential groups. The ward's Party Committee comprises 100 branches with a total of 6,200 members.

At Tay Ho Ward's administrative service office, To Lam praised the local leadership and people for their unity and responsible efforts in organizing and operating the new two-tier local government model effectively from day one.

Looking ahead, he urged the ward's Party Committee to prioritize drafting its political report for the 2025-2030 Party Congress, especially in setting a five-year development strategy focused on economic growth.

He also called for sustainable development, environmental protection, food safety, and the creation of a suitable local business environment.

Lam encouraged Tay Ho to consider establishing a "food court" model by mobilizing private sector resources to provide healthy and safe dining options for residents.

He noted that while the central government has issued many important resolutions, their implementation at the local level remains limited.

With upcoming national resolutions on healthcare and education, Lam stressed that local governments must see these as their responsibility and develop specific programs, plans, and projects to translate policy into tangible benefits for citizens.

He expressed hope that each official in Tay Ho Ward would work with dedication and proactively engage with residents to understand and meet their needs.

Welcoming the ward's proposal to repurpose the headquarters of the Nghia Do Ward police into a school, he recommended that Hanoi authorities coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to resolve the issue within their jurisdiction.

Lam also called on central government bodies, including the National Assembly and Government, to stay closely attuned to local developments, support the rollout of the new governance model, and contribute to shaping national policies to ensure its effectiveness nationwide.

He expressed confidence that the Party organization, authorities, and people of Tay Ho Ward and Hanoi as a whole will continue to innovate and build a truly professional local government that better serves the people.