This was the 12th year in a row the Ministry of Home Affairs compiled the index that evaluates performance of the 63 cities and provinces, as well as 17 ministries and ministerial-level agencies.

According to the ministry, Quang Ninh led the ranking for six times since 2012, with the latest score being 92.18 per cent, followed by Hai Phong with an index of 91.87 per cent.

Localities with robust administrative reform results included Hanoi (91.43 per cent), the northern province of Bac Giang (91.16 per cent) and the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau (91.03 per cent).

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang was at the bottom with only 81.32 per cent.

2023 was the first year that all localities across the nation documented their PAR indexes above the benchmark of 80 per cent.

With 89.95 per cent for its efforts in administrative reform, the Ministry of Justice shared the top position with Quang Ninh province. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade was at the bottom of the ranking, scoring 78.03 per cent.

The average index of ministries and ministerial-level agencies was 84.38 per cent, up 0.33 per cent from 2022. Ten ministries recorded higher PAR indexes compared to 2022, and seven saw an index decrease.

The PAR Index is an annual report to assess the implementation of administrative reforms in all ministries, sectors, and localities in Vietnam. It is part of the Government’s commitment to build a democratic, clean, strong, professional, modernised, effective, and efficient administration embedded with the rule-of-law principles under the Party’s leadership and to develop a team of civil servants and public officials who are appropriately qualified to meet the demand of the nation’s course of development.