Da Nang merges 200 hotlines to improve public access to information

On April 7, the Da Nang People’s Committee announced the merger of 200 hotlines into one number (0511-1022) to receive and process queries from the public.

According to authorities, the hotline has been in operation since August 2015. Calling from a landline in Da Nang only requires dialing 1022. The call costs VND200 per minute ($0.01 per minute). Landline calls from other provinces and from mobile phones will need to add the area code 0511 and calls cost VND888 per minute.

The hotline is connected to a switchboard with 25 operators, and may be expanded to 100 operators. All queries are guaranteed to be transferred to relevant departments.

“Responses must be made within seven days,” said Che Viet Son, vice director of Da Nang's Department of Home Affairs.

Nguyen Dang Truong, vice director of the city's Department of Information and Communications, said too many hotlines in the past confused people leaving them unsure of who to contact. These numbers were only capable of receiving one call at a time and did not record conversations.

There were cases when queries were recorded incorrectly or left unanswered. The city has never been able to estimate the number of queries it receives, so merging all the hotlines into one is both important and convenient, he added.

On April 6, Vietnam passed the Access to Information Law. According to the law, which will take effect in 2018, all citizens are equal and there will be no discrimination in the right to access information. The information provided must be accurate and complete. The provision of information must be timely, transparent, accurate and convenient for citizens, while following the process and procedures prescribed by the law.