Vietnam’s Governance Challenges: Corruption and Poverty Top Public Concerns in 2024 PAPI Report

Corruption has emerged as the most pressing issue for Vietnamese citizens in 2024, overshadowing persistent concerns about poverty and employment, according to a comprehensive new report on governance and public administration. The 2024 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), launched on April 15 in Hanoi, reveals a growing public demand for transparency and accountability, even as the government intensifies its anti-corruption efforts. With Vietnam embarking on historic reforms to its administrative system, the findings underscore both the challenges and opportunities facing the nation in addressing citizen priorities.

Corruption Dominates Public Concerns

The PAPI 2024 report, now in its 16th edition, surveyed 18,894 randomly selected respondents across the country, capturing a broad spectrum of views on governance and public service delivery. The results are striking: 22.58 percent of respondents identified corruption as the top issue requiring urgent government action, a significant jump of 17 percent from the previous year. This surge in concern coincides with a series of high-profile corruption trials in 2024, which have amplified public awareness of the government’s ongoing campaign against graft.

While broader anxieties about corruption have intensified, the report offers a glimmer of hope at the local level. Fewer respondents reported having to pay informal fees or bribes for public services compared to 2023, suggesting incremental improvements in service delivery. However, the persistent perception of corruption as a systemic issue indicates that much work remains to rebuild public trust. The report urges authorities to enhance transparency, strengthen law enforcement, and provide robust protections for whistleblowers—recommendations that take on added urgency following recent administrative restructuring.

Poverty and Economic Insecurity Persist

Despite Vietnam’s impressive GDP growth of 7.09 percent in 2024, economic insecurity continues to weigh heavily on many households. Poverty ranked as the second most pressing concern, cited by 14.2 percent of respondents, while employment issues followed closely at 12.64 percent. The PAPI report highlights a notable improvement in household economic conditions, with only 10.2 percent of respondents rating their situation as “poor” or “very poor”—the lowest level since 2019. Yet, disparities remain stark, particularly among vulnerable groups such as agricultural workers, informal sector employees, and ethnic minorities.

Access to social insurance emerges as a critical factor in shaping economic perceptions. Only 29 percent of respondents reported having social insurance coverage, with significantly lower rates among marginalized communities. Deirdre Ní Fhallúin, Irish Ambassador to Vietnam, emphasized the need for broader coverage under the 2024 Social Insurance Law, noting that such measures could alleviate public concerns about poverty and instability. “Expanding coverage will help address citizens’ fears about economic uncertainty” she said during the launch event.

The report also draws attention to the intersection of economic well-being and environmental challenges. Nearly 40 percent of respondents reported that their households or communities had been directly affected by extreme weather events over the past year, a stark reminder of Vietnam’s vulnerability to climate change. The economic toll of such disasters is particularly acute for rural and remote populations, where recovery resources are often limited. To counter this, the PAPI report calls for targeted investments in disaster preparedness and resilient infrastructure, tailored to the unique needs of local communities.

Governance Gaps and Digital Disparities

While local governments have made encouraging progress in several areas of governance and public service delivery, significant gaps in citizen satisfaction persist. Women, ethnic minorities, temporary residents, and those in rural or remote areas reported lower levels of satisfaction with local governance compared to other demographic groups. These disparities reflect systemic challenges in ensuring equitable access to public services and representation in decision-making processes.

Digital governance, a key focus of Vietnam’s modernization efforts, also reveals uneven progress. While the adoption of digital public services has expanded nationwide, access remains limited for certain groups. Gender disparities, differences between the majority Kinh population and ethnic minorities, and the urban-rural divide all contribute to unequal engagement with digital platforms. Internet access, a prerequisite for benefiting from e-governance initiatives, continues to be a barrier for many, particularly in underserved regions.

Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, framed these challenges as both a call to action and an opportunity. “Findings from the 2024 PAPI survey highlight the urgent need and tremendous opportunity to promote gender equality, social inclusion, and equitable access to public services through ongoing governance reforms in 2025” she said. Khalidi stressed the importance of an evidence-based, people-centered approach to ensure that reforms deliver tangible benefits to all Vietnamese citizens.

A Pivotal Moment for Reform

The release of the PAPI 2024 report comes at a critical juncture for Vietnam, as the country undertakes a historic overhaul of its public administration system. This includes the rollout of a two-tier government model and the restructuring of provincial-level administrative units, initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of policy implementation. The insights from the PAPI survey provide a roadmap for aligning these reforms with citizen priorities, emphasizing the need for inclusivity and responsiveness.

Experts at the launch event, co-organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, the Embassy of Ireland, and UNDP Vietnam, underscored the importance of leveraging this moment to address longstanding governance challenges. The report’s recommendations—ranging from bolstering anti-corruption measures to expanding social insurance and climate resilience—offer a comprehensive framework for action. However, translating these insights into meaningful change will require sustained political will and coordination across all levels of government.

Public Sentiment and the Road Ahead

The PAPI 2024 findings paint a complex picture of public sentiment in Vietnam. On one hand, there is growing frustration with systemic issues like corruption and economic inequality, amplified by high-profile events and environmental pressures. On the other hand, improvements in household economic conditions and local service delivery suggest that progress is possible when reforms are effectively implemented. The challenge for Vietnam’s leaders lies in bridging the gap between these incremental gains and the broader systemic changes that citizens are demanding.

As Vietnam moves forward with its ambitious administrative reforms, the PAPI report serves as a vital tool for understanding public needs and expectations. The data reveals not only the issues that matter most to citizens but also the demographic and regional disparities that must be addressed to ensure equitable outcomes. With corruption, poverty, and employment at the forefront of public consciousness, the government faces mounting pressure to deliver results that are both visible and sustainable.

Beyond immediate policy responses, the report also raises broader questions about the future of governance in Vietnam. How will the two-tier government model impact local accountability? Can digital governance initiatives close the access gap for marginalized communities? And perhaps most critically, will the government’s anti-corruption campaign translate into lasting public trust? These are the questions that will shape Vietnam’s political and social landscape in the years ahead.

As the nation navigates this period of transformation, the voices captured in the PAPI 2024 report offer a powerful reminder of the stakes involved. For Vietnam’s citizens, governance is not an abstract concept but a lived reality that shapes their daily lives—from the affordability of basic services to the security of their livelihoods in the face of climate disasters. Addressing their concerns will be the true test of the country’s reform agenda.