Migration remains an issue of prime concern in Vietnam. Disparities often encountered by growing numbers of migrants were further amplified in 2021 by the unprecedented social and economic losses left behind by COVID-19 as it swept across the country and recent economic uncertainties because of disruption of global supply chains. As such, there is a critical need to identify and explore gaps in access to good governance and quality public services between migrants and permanent residents in receiving provinces as well as drivers of migration within Vietnam in 2021, which result in wide-ranging social and economic impacts in need of agile and inclusive policy responses.

This article is the second excerpt from the 2021 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) Report. It presents key findings from the 2021 PAPI citizen surveys on how local governments performed in delivering on their mandates and public services across the eight PAPI dimensions.

The 2021 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) Report, released on May 10, shows improvements in basic infrastructure as citizens experienced better roads, water supply and sanitation, while many respondents reported less crime as lockdowns and travel restrictions may have helped improve law and order. There were, however, gaps in the national pandemic response with increasing governance challenges, concerning shifts in indicators tied to COVID-19, and a deterioration in household economic confidence.

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen has highlighted the importance of the findings from the 2021 PAPI Report for deepening the understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on democratic governance that can help support the governments in preparing for future economic and health crises.

Evidence from the decade-long Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index with survey findings in 2020 reveals that improved governance and responsiveness of central and local governments contributed to the country’s effective responses to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Yen Bai currently accommodates three industrial parks (IPs), including the Southern IP and Au Lau IP in Yen Bai city and Minh Quan IP in Tran Yen district. There are three China-invested projects specialized in timber processing operating in the Southern IP and the Republic of Korea (RoK)-invested garment project in the Au Lau IP, Director of the provincial Management Board of Industrial Parks Trinh Huynh Yen told the Vietnam Law and Legal Forum magazine.

The 2020 PAPI Report, released on April 14, assesses citizen experiences with national and local government performance in governance, public administration, and public service delivery at the provincial level. Apart from national and provincial findings on governance and public administration performance from permanent and temporary residents , the PAPI Report had a special section to look into drivers of migration inside and out of Vietnam. This article introduces findings from this thematic discussion in the report.

The 2020 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) Report assesses citizen experiences with national and local government performance in governance, public administration, and public service delivery at the provincial level. Apart from findings on governance and public administration performance from permanent residents, in 2020, the PAPI research outreached temporary residents in six largest internal migrant-receiving provinces to understand how temporary residents perceive of and experience with local governments’ performance.

The 2020 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index Report detailed findings on how provinces performed across the eight PAPI dimensions (Participation at Local Levels, Transparency in Local Decision-making, Vertical Accountability Toward Citizens, Control of Corruption in the Public Sector, Public Administrative Procedures, Public Service Delivery, Environmental Governance, and E-Government).

The 2020 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) Report, released on April 14, 2021, shows an incremental improvement in national governance and public administration performance during the 2016-21 government term.