On April 15, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in coordination with the Centre for Research and Training of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Centre for Community Support and Development Studies (CECODES), released the 2024 PAPI in Vietnam.

Accordingly, Son La province scored 43.8876 points in the 2024 index, up 1.4291 points from 2023. The locality ranked 25th out of the 63 cities and provinces, climbing five places from 2023, and was placed in the medium-high performance group.

Of the eight component dimensions that make up the PAPI, Son La scored high in one category—vertical accountability towards citizens—and achieved medium-high scores in four others: citizen participation at the grassroots level, transparency, control of corruption in the public sector, and environmental governance.

Lai Nhu Long, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Home Affairs, said the improvements reflect clear progress in enhancing the quality of public governance, particularly in areas such as vertical accountability to citizens, grassroots-level public participation, transparency in local decision-making, anti-corruption efforts in the public sector, and environmental governance.

Notably, "Vertical Accountability Towards Citizens" (Indicator 3) scored 4.4623 points in 2024, up 0.1341 points from 2023, elevating it from the “medium-high” to the “high” performance group.

This reflects Son La’s efforts to improve government responsiveness by enhancing transparency around public policies and services, streamlining the process for receiving and handling public feedback, and strengthening dialogue and consultation with citizens on issues affecting daily life and society.

The improvement in score and upgrade in performance group indicated that citizens had clearly perceived greater accountability and responsiveness from local authorities in addressing emerging issues.

This also reflected improved public satisfaction and trust in local administration. It marked a positive signal for the province to continue promoting effective governance practices toward sustainable, democratic development that puts citizens at the centre.

However, the 2024 assessment also revealed that Son La still lagged in three component indicators, which remained in the “low-medium” performance group: public administrative procedures, public service delivery, and e-governance.

Several of these indicators even saw a decline from 2023. The core reason lies in uneven educational levels across the population, and limited access to online public services. This underscores the need for grassroots authorities to intensify outreach, guidance, and support to help residents better engage with digital public services.

To maintain and improve the index in 2025, agencies and units should align their functions and responsibilities with the provincial People’s Committee’s efforts to sustain high-scoring indicators.

They should also focus on addressing, improving, and raising the scores of lower-performing components. Continued efforts to strengthen the entire political system and encourage citizen participation in the process of policy-making, implementation, and oversight will be essential.

Additionally, it is crucial to enhance the sense of responsibility among the leaders of state agencies in improving and elevating the index.