The Criteria serve as an important basis for evaluating the results of the Project’s implementation by city-level departments, agencies, socio-political organizations, and People’s Committees of communes, wards, and special administrative zones. They contribute to building a modern and transparent administration, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, and developing a culture of respect for and compliance with the law throughout the city.

The Criteria were issued based on the policies and resolutions of the Central Government and the Haiphong Party Committee, particularly Project No. 04-DA/TU, Resolution No. 05-NQ/TU of the Executive Committee of the Haiphong Party Committee, and Decision No. 1706/QD-UBND of the Haiphong People’s Committee approving the Project to build the “Law-Abiding and Law-Respecting City” model. Under the Decision, the Department of Justice is assigned as the lead agency responsible for advising, coordinating with relevant agencies, and organizing implementation, appraisal, and annual evaluation of results.

The Criteria consist of two separate evaluation systems, applied to city-level departments, agencies, socio-political organizations, and People’s Committees of communes, wards, and special administrative zones, ensuring suitability with the functions and responsibilities of each level and sector. Each system is designed with a scoring framework, including criteria, indicators, verification documents, and specific appraisal authorities.

For city-level departments, agencies, and socio-political organizations, the Criteria have a total score of 100 points, including 60 points for general criteria, 35 points for sector-specific criteria, and 5 points for innovation and creativity criteria. The evaluation focuses on various areas, including leadership and direction in implementing the Project; improvement of institutions and development and review of legal documents; enforcement of laws; dissemination and education of laws; compliance with laws in state management activities; handling of complaints and denunciations; administrative procedure reform; improvement of satisfaction levels among citizens and businesses; development of law compliance models; and application of digital technology and artificial intelligence in legal support and law dissemination.

For commune-level authorities, the Criteria are also designed on a 100-point scale, with similar groups of criteria adapted to the authority of local governments. The evaluation focuses on issuing and implementing plans for the Project; developing and reviewing legal documents; law enforcement; legal dissemination and education; grassroots mediation; legal aid; administrative procedure handling; citizen reception; prevention and control of corruption; handling petitions, complaints, and denunciations; while encouraging innovation, creativity, and digital transformation applications in state management.

A notable feature of the Criteria is the requirement for agencies and units to strengthen the application of digital technology in legal dissemination, education, and support for citizens and businesses in accessing legal information through digital platforms such as electronic information portals, social networks, videos, podcasts, AI chatbots, online competitions, and other digital transformation solutions. At the same time, the Criteria encourage the development of new models and initiatives with potential for expansion, contributing to the formation of a culture of legal compliance throughout society.

The evaluation of the Project’s implementation results will be conducted according to four levels: Excellent Completion (90 points or above), Good Completion (from 80 to under 90 points), Completion (from 70 to under 80 points), and Non-Completion (below 70 points). Units will not be rated as having excellent completion if they provide inaccurate data or supporting documents; fail to handle unlawful documents; fail to enforce overdue administrative judgments, inspection conclusions, examination results, or audit conclusions due to subjective reasons; or commit serious violations of the law in the performance of official duties.

According to the process, before December 1 each year, departments, agencies, and socio-political organizations shall conduct self-assessment, scoring, and submit dossiers to the People’s Committee of the city (through the Department of Justice). Based on these submissions, the Department of Justice will organize appraisal, compile results, and report to the People’s Committee before December 31. The results will also be sent to the Department of Home Affairs as a basis for evaluating the annual task completion level of agencies and units. The evaluation results will serve as a basis for the People’s Committee to consider commendations and rewards for collectives with effective initiatives and models in building and promoting a culture of respect for the law.

The issuance of the Criteria aims to establish a unified framework for implementing the “Law-Abiding and Law-Respecting City” Project, enhance the responsibility of agencies and organizations in law-making and law enforcement, and contribute to building a service-oriented, modern, open, and transparent government for citizens and businesses. It also aims to realize the goal of making Haiphong a pioneering locality in building a culture of respect for the law during the 2026–2030 period and beyond.