The newly-appointed leaders of HCM City are determined to take drastic action to deal with the city's problems.

Party Secretary Dinh La Thang and People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, have begun to take action to deal with the city's problems.

After being petitioned by a local resident to deal with crime, Thang instructed local police to address street robberies and theft over the next three months.

HCM City Party Secretary Dinh La Thang

“As a policeman what do you think when local people complain that they feel unsafe? This will also leave a bad impression on tourists," Thang said. He also said police officers failing to do their duty would be dealt with.

Following Thang's orders, the municipal party committee on Friday launched a hotline to help people report issues related to the economy, culture, society and people' daily lives directly to the party secretary. Normally Thang answers the phone calls. If he is busy, the municipal party committee office's employees receive the calls. The calls are summarised and passed on to Thang and ask local agencies to settle the issues.

When receiving a call from a local resident about the traffic jams caused by the illegally-parked coaches on Nguyen Thai Binh and Le Thi Hong Gam streets in District 1, he immediately asked the local department of transport to take action.

At a conference on March 1, after hearing from a vague report from Director of the city's Police Department Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong asked for a better report to be compiled.

Phong also noted that in the coming time, the city will discipline leaders who fail to complete their duties.

The dynamic approach by the newly-appointed leaders has increased the hope among HCM City residents and people nationwide that pledges to modernise the country will become a reality.

However, it has been noted the approach adopted in HCM City is an isolated case and there is little evidence that local authorities throughout the country have acted on the good will that exists for more rapid and drastic improvements