This is the second year that Can Tho City has implemented the evaluation of the capacity for competition at the department, board, and local level from the perspective and supervision of businesses, cooperatives, and households. This move aims to affirm the determination of the city in supervising and improving the quality of public service implementation at the grassroots level; and considers this an important tool in the leadership and socio-economic development management of the city.

According to the Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies, in 2023 there were 26 departments, boards and agencies of the city selected for evaluation, including departments (Trade and Industry; Education and Training; Transport; Planning and Investment; Finance; Justice; Construction; Health; Science and Technology; Natural Resources and Environment; Information and Communications; Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs; Home Affairs; Agriculture and Rural Development; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Foreign Affairs); Inspection Department of Can Tho City; Can Tho Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority; Public Security of Can Tho City; Customs Department; Tax Department of Can Tho City; Ethnic Minority Affairs Board of Can Tho City; Project Management Board for Construction Investment; ODA Project Management Board; Social Insurance of Can Tho City; State Treasury - Can Tho and People's Committees of 9 districts.

Implemented from January to December 2023, the survey was mainly conducted through direct interviews. The Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies sent investigators to businesses, cooperatives, and households in districts to distribute survey forms, and provide guidance and explanations; combined with investigation and survey methods through mail, email; and online surveys on the website of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, the Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies.

The representative of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mekong Delta Branch provided information on the results of the DDCI evaluation of Can Tho City in 2023 at the conference.

The survey scope focused on businesses, cooperatives, and households that are operating, producing trading, and implementing investment projects in Can Tho City, and regularly using public administrative services of departments and People's Committees of districts. The purpose is to collect information from businesses, cooperatives, and households in Can Tho City about their perceptions and evaluations of the capacity for economic management and efforts to improve the business and investment environment of the departments of Can Tho City and the People's Committees of districts. These general assessments will be used by the city government to develop some solutions to improve the competitiveness of People's Committees of districts and departments of Can Tho City.

The results of the 2023 DDCI evaluation at the departmental level recorded the Customs Department achieving the highest score (94.12 points). Meanwhile, at the district level, Thot Not District was noted to have the highest score (86.28 points).

Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City Tran Viet Truong commended the efforts and determination of the Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies for persistently conducting surveys, building reports, along with close cooperation from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Can Tho City and Experts from Institutes, Schools and organizations, businesses to complete the Report as required. Mr. Tran Viet Truong also thanked businesses, cooperatives, and households for always joining hands with the city to build and improve the quality of leadership and management of the government apparatus from the city to the grassroots.

The Chairman of the People's Committee emphasized that the DDCI index helps identify "bottlenecks" and "obstacles" in improving the business environment and evaluating the quality of economic management at departments and People's Committees of Can Tho City.

Leaders of departments spoke at the seminar.

To contribute to improving the DDCI Index of Can Tho City in the coming time, the Chairman of the People's Committee requested that departments, boards, sectors, and District People's Committees unify the determination and resolve to reform in directing, leading, and managing at all levels and local governments; build in the spirit of "governing administration" serving businesses, which is also serving the people in the process of implementing official duties.

Reform must be carried out from top-down and bottom-up, closely combined with each other. "If reform only stems from individual efforts, it will be difficult to succeed and success will not be stable. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the process of implementing laws and policies, build a better investment and business environment, and organize the removal of obstacles in procedures and structures of the public administration apparatus," emphasized Mr. Tran Viet Truong.

The Chairman of the People's Committee also requested that each sector and locality need to organize dialogue in diverse, creative and flexible forms; promote the role of bridge of the Business Association and Trade Associations to represent the voices of the business community. The reform process must be placed in the internal connection of the city and combined with the linkage with other provinces in the Mekong Delta region, avoiding the approach according to administrative boundaries because Can Tho City businesses cannot be independent in terms of market and supply with other provinces and cities; even some businesses located in Can Tho City but play a coordinating role for the entire Mekong Delta region.

Based on the results of evaluating the DDCI index in 2023, the Chairman of the People's Committee requested that departments and districts review and develop plans and action programs of each agency and unit to improve each component index, basic indicator in the DDCI index in 2023.

The Department of Information and Communications will coordinate with the Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies to consult on schemes and roadmaps to build a separate website for the DDCI Index of Can Tho City, viewing this as a channel to receive information, shorten time and distance for businesses, helping businesses access assessments most effectively; at the same time, reduce the burden of surveys at business units, cooperatives, household businesses.

The leadership of the People's Committee believes that with the determination and resolute involvement of all levels, sectors, and localities, in the coming time Can Tho City will have strong and breakthrough development in improving the investment environment, creating breakthroughs in administrative procedure reform, simplifying procedures, creating a transparent, fair and attractive investment and business environment for investors to Can Tho City.