Vietnam has been attempting to streamline its state apparatus for decades, but little headway has been made. Therefore, the job should be considered a revolution and done drastically.

Government jobs are a dream for many young Vietnamese, but while some put the entirety of their efforts into contributing to their country, others use their jobs for rent-seeking, building a personal reputation, or simply collecting a paycheck while doing the bare minimum not to get fired.

Many also believe that the massive state apparatus is wasteful. Though many officials and public servants complain that they are often busy with meetings, observers claim that only a few officials work and the rest just go along to get along.

Even government ministers acknowledge the inefficiency of the current state apparatus, with one admitting to a National Assembly deputy that their ministry could still function normally even if its workforce were reduced by 30-40 percent.

Party General Secretary To Lam once pointed to the involvement of up to six agencies in the issuance of birth certificates as a clear sign of the excessive size of the state.

Residents are similarly critical of processes that require meeting with multiple officials, for documents relating to land, housing development, tax payment, business establishment, and project licensing.

The oversized state apparatus is also attributed to a shortage of disciplined and determined leaders in state agencies, primarily owing to an overabundance of policies and regulations that are overly burdensome to enforce.

It is clear that in order to serve residents effectively, state agencies must be streamlined to operate smoothly.

Such agencies do not need power-hungry officials, irresponsible officials, and those with too much time to kill.

If officials’ salaries continue to make up over 60 percent of the state budget, Vietnam will certainly not reach its full potential.

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