We need to 'commission' the Vietnam Fatherland Front to conduct unified, focused, and targeted supervision.

Transformation from the grassroots

In Tay Hieu commune (Thai Hoa town), the issues selected for monitoring by the Fatherland Front of the commune stem from practical experience in listening to and understanding public opinion, addressing concerns and reflections, while also contributing to building a strong political system.

From that perspective, over the past period, the Fatherland Front of Tay Hieu commune has monitored the implementation of the action program of the commune's People's Council representatives; monitored the implementation of the preliminary medical examination process for military service according to the Military Service Law; and monitored the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities of commune officials and civil servants, especially those at the "one-stop" service center and those in charge of issuing land use right certificates to the people.

The Fatherland Front of Tay Hieu commune also monitors the resolution of petitions, feedback, and proposals from the people through dialogue conferences between the heads of the Party committee and the government with the people, and through meetings with elected representatives; it also monitors the implementation of some policies related to the people; and budget revenue and expenditure…

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Hai, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Tay Hieu commune, said: "Through monitoring the implementation of the action program of the commune People's Council representatives committed during the election campaign, it has been clearly identified which representatives are active and which are not, especially in following up and urging the implementation of voters' recommendations in their constituencies... After the monitoring, the awareness and responsibility of the commune People's Council representatives have increased, and they have a greater spirit of participation and express their opinions more clearly at forums and meetings of the commune People's Council. In monitoring the performance of duties and responsibilities, especially in the field of issuing land use right certificates to people, the process and procedures have become more transparent, and the time for receiving and returning results is clearly stated on paper, avoiding the case of 'delaying' files, which can easily lead to corruption..."

In Nghia Hong commune (Nghia Dan district), the Fatherland Front of the commune prioritizes monitoring projects and tasks funded by people's contributions. This includes monitoring the implementation of projects funded by parents' social contributions, such as the construction of a water park and movable canopy at the kindergarten; the grounds and landscaping of the primary school; investment in upgrading the commune's health station; and inter-commune and inter-village road projects, etc.

Sharing the reasons for choosing the monitoring content, Ms. Truong Thi Luu, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Nghia Hong commune, said: "The general sentiment of the people is that they want their hard-earned contributions to be used for the right purpose and to be effective, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) is the representative organization acting on behalf of the people to do that. The VFF's monitoring activities cover the entire process, from project implementation to completion. Therefore, investors and construction units are very careful in designing, estimating costs, selecting materials, and ensuring quality construction, preventing situations where parents are mobilized to contribute for one purpose but the documentation is manipulated for something else."

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The general sentiment among the people is that they want their hard-earned contributions to be used for the right purpose and to yield effective results. The Vietnam Fatherland Front is a representative organization that acts on behalf of the people to monitor and fulfill the people's wishes.

Comrade Truong Thi Luu - Chairperson of the People's Committee of Nghia Hong commune (Nghia Dan district)

Commenting on the effectiveness of the Fatherland Front's supervision in the commune, Ms. Dang Thi Phuong, Deputy Principal of Nghia Hong Kindergarten, affirmed: "The strict supervision by the Fatherland Front has maximized the value of the project, while also strengthening the trust and willingness of the people when the school implements a socialized approach to serve the needs of their children."

Furthermore, the monitoring activities of the Fatherland Front of Nghia Hong commune also demonstrate flexibility. In Hong Phuc hamlet, during fundraising campaigns for the Fund for the Poor, Tet for the Poor, or flood relief efforts, despite the large number of households, the contribution levels were lower than the average in other hamlets in the commune. The Fatherland Front of the commune conducted monitoring. Through this monitoring, the Fatherland Front of the commune also observed that the fundraising process was implemented and the collection and expenditure were managed systematically. However, about one-third of the households in the hamlet are cadres, workers, and laborers from companies, farms, and schools, and their contributions are made through their respective units, resulting in low fundraising levels in the hamlet.

Promoting initiative from both sides.

Monitoring activities are an important function and task of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and socio-political organizations, as specifically stipulated in Decision No. 217/QD-TW issued by the Politburo on December 12, 2013. Simultaneously, the monitoring role of the VFF and socio-political organizations is emphasized in the implementation of policies, resolutions, directives, projects, and regulations of the Party at all levels. Therefore, this is a task that the VFF, from the provincial level to the grassroots in Nghe An, pays close attention to and implements.

The content of supervision by the Fatherland Front and political and social organizations at all levels closely follows real-life situations to conduct in-depth monitoring of practical issues. In 2024 alone, the province organized 5,537 thematic supervision sessions; of which the Provincial Fatherland Front organized 4 sessions, including supervising the responsibility of the Chairmen of the People's Committees at all levels regarding receiving citizens and resolving complaints and denunciations from the people in conjunction with the implementation of Decision 124, dated August 2, 2018, of the Party Central Committee; supervising the contact, dialogue, and implementation of conclusions of the heads of Party committees and governments at all levels after contact and dialogue with the people in the province; supervising the implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; and supervising the implementation of focused human resource development and the building of a team of ethnic minority cadres.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Thanh – Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province: Through the monitoring activities of the Fatherland Front and political and social organizations, many shortcomings, limitations, and deficiencies in the implementation of the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws have been promptly detected, leading to recommendations and proposals for consideration and adjustment by Party committees and authorities at all levels. More importantly, monitoring activities also contribute to promoting the people's right to self-governance, fostering transparency, and improving the effectiveness of the entire political system, meeting the requirements of the country's strong development and innovation in the current period.

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The Vietnam Fatherland Front's oversight is an activity aimed at promoting the people's right to self-governance, fostering transparency, improving the efficiency of the political system, and meeting the requirements of the country's strong development and innovation in the current period.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Thanh – Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province

Besides its effectiveness and positive impact, the supervisory activities of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations also present difficulties and shortcomings. For example, the scope of supervision is broad, but resources and personnel are limited; in some places, the proactive role has not been fully utilized, and remains largely formalistic. On the part of Party committees and authorities, some areas lack a full, deep, comprehensive understanding and adequate attention to the supervisory activities of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations.

On the other hand, the process of receiving and handling recommendations following supervision is slow and inconsistent. These shortcomings have been clearly recognized by the Standing Committee of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, which has issued Regulation No. 54, dated August 7, 2024, on the responsibilities of Party committees, Party organizations, and the government in ensuring the implementation of regulations on social supervision and criticism, and regulations on participation in contributing opinions to Party and government building by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and political and social organizations in the province.