HCMC – Ho Chi Minh City climbed 11 places to enter Vietnam’s top 10 localities in the 2025 Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index), according to results announced on May 11 by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
HCMC scored 91.41 points, continuing a recovery after years of declining rankings. In 2024, HCMC rose 12 places to 21st nationwide.
The rankings were announced at a government meeting on science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation chaired by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Haiphong remained the country’s top performer for the 11th consecutive year with 95.37 points. The northern port city posted GRDP growth of 11.81% in 2025 and continued to attract strong domestic investment, according to the ministry.
Quang Ninh ranked second with 93.16 points, followed by Dong Nai, Ninh Binh and Hanoi.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the average PAR Index score of provinces and cities rose to 89.96% in 2025, the highest level since the index was introduced. Eighteen out of 34 localities scored above 90 points.
HCMC’s improvement came as the city accelerated administrative restructuring, decentralization and digital transformation. Recent efforts included expanding online public services, digitizing administrative records and integrating population databases.
The ministry said administrative reform is entering a more difficult stage, requiring improvements not only in processing time but also in service quality and user experience for residents and businesses.
Digital transformation within state agencies remained one of the slowest-improving areas, particularly in large urban centers where data integration and technology infrastructure continue to face bottlenecks.
Among ministries and ministerial-level agencies, the Ministry of Justice topped the 2025 rankings with 95.48 points, while the Ministry of Health ranked last.
