An online survey conducted by the UNDP and VietNamNet reveals that nearly 70% of participants said that they had to bribe officials to quickly deal with administrative works. An online survey about administrative reform conducted by the UNDP and VietNamNet Newspaper reveals that nearly 70 percent of participants said that they had to bribe officials to quickly deal with administrative works.

The survey attracted the participation of people doing different jobs, from businesspeople to government employees, farmers, housewives, etc., in many provinces and cities in Vietnam.

The most troublesome procedures are those related to the certificate of land-use right (nearly 45 percent of participants complained about it), followed by procedures on construction licences, complains, grant of family record books, social insurance, land and housing tax and business registration.

According to the survey, the three “keys” to open administrative doors are bribing, good relations with state employees and through go-betweens.

A businessperson from Nam Dinh province said: “I have to give officials money under the table to have my papers done”.

A reader from Hanoi wrote: “You must have good relations with officials or have to pay, otherwise there will be no end to the paperwork.”

A reader from Long An shared his experience: asking for phone numbers of relevantofficials and then meet them in person. “Your documents will be wrong anyway, unless you put an envelope (money) in your files,” he wrote.

“The best way to get your land use right certificate is giving money to go-beetweens and then wait to receive your certificate. If you ask for the certificate yourself, you will face a lot of difficulties,” an accountant in HCM City wrote.

An IT engineer in Hanoi who has just opened his own firm wrote: “When I registered my business, I didn’t know which agency I had to visit. I had to ask for help from acquaintances who work at a law firm. They are experienced in going around regulations.”

Most of the survey participants were not satisfied with administrative procedures in their locations. Up to a half of participants said that they didn’t get clear information about formalities. Most of them said that the qualifications of state employees are not satisfactory.

Up to 60 percent of people said it is necessary to simplify administrative procedures, improve the qualifications of the employees and transfer some public services to private, social or non-government oranisations.

Many people suggested that a competitive salary mechanism be applied based on the positions of government employees and a mechanism be put in place for the people and the media to detect and denounce wrongdoings of state employees.

The survey was carried out from June 8 to September 15 2010 on VietNamNet newspaper.

Le Nhung