Administrative Consolidation Quality and Perceived Sustainable Local Governance: Digital Capacity, Organizational Agility, and Perceived Public Value in Vietnam’s Two-Tier System

Administrative consolidation requires the integration of responsibilities, digital systems, and working practices. This study examines associations among administrative consolidation quality (ACQ), digital capacity (DC), organizational agility (OA), perceived public value creation (PVC), and perceived sustainable local governance performance (SLGP). Recorded survey responses span 15 February–27 May 2026. Of 433 returned questionnaires, 399 commune- and ward-level personnel were retained after screening. Thirty-one five-point items were aggregated into equally weighted domain scores and analyzed using standardized ordinary least-squares path equations. The SLGP equation explained 62.1% of within-sample variance. PVC had the largest coefficient (β = 0.320), followed by OA (β = 0.254), DC (β = 0.200), and ACQ (β = 0.160). The full serial indirect association was small (β = 0.020; 95% individual-case bootstrap CI: 0.011–0.032; 5000 resamples). The total indirect association was 0.459 (95% CI: 0.397–0.522). Coefficient patterns remained similar after excluding SLGP7, restricting analysis to 350 respondents confirming merger status, and adjusting for respondent background. These associations concern the retained respondents and do not establish causal mechanisms. They motivate evaluation of mandate clarification, digital workflow standardization, and lawful flexibility in work allocation. The cross-sectional design, incomplete sampling-frame documentation, and unverified correspondence between unit codes and distinct administrations limit causal inference and generalization.