Innovating thinking and unlocking development opportunities for Western Nghe An.
Comrade Le Minh Hoan - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly - is known as a politician with progressive views and innovative thinking in the field of agriculture and rural development, especially the philosophy of community-based development and valuing the role of people.
Comrade Le Minh Hoan, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, is known as a politician with progressive views and innovative thinking in the field of agriculture and rural development, especially his philosophy of community-based development and emphasis on the role of people. On the eve of the 20th Congress of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term 2025-2030, reporters from Nghe An Newspaper and Radio and Television conducted an interview with him.
Ngoc Dung(Execution) • October 1, 2025
Reporter: Having visited western Nghe An many times and dedicated much of my time and effort to this region, what concerns you most when you directly venture into the villages and witness the challenges posed by the terrain, weather, and diverse culture?
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan:The western part of Nghe An province is the "green roof," occupying nearly 80% of the province's natural area but home to only about 35% of its population. It boasts majestic mountain ranges such as Pu Hoat, Pu Huong, and Pu Mat; rivers like the Lam, Nam Non, and Nam Mo winding through valleys; and winding roads traversing communes in former districts such as Que Phong, Quy Chau, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, and Ky Son. It is also home to many ethnic groups: Thai, Mong, Kho Mu, Tho, Dan Lai, and O Du, creating a rich cultural tapestry but also presenting challenges related to multilingualism, diverse customs, and vulnerable areas prone to fragmentation during the rainy season and storms.
The development story in western Nghe An is not just about socio-economics, but also about the challenges of forest conservation, preserving cultural identity, and adapting to the isolated terrain and harsh weather conditions. Landslides are common during the rainy season, water shortages during the dry season, and mobile phone signals are often unreliable in many areas. For government policies to reach every citizen here, we need not only infrastructure and funding, but first and foremost, a new mindset, from officials to the community.
Reporter:You have mentioned many times the issue of developing multi-value agriculture, or the mindset of "intellectualizing farmers." Should we also consider "intellectualizing commune officials" in specific regions like Nghe An? What are the core skills that a commune official in a disadvantaged area needs to possess?
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan:In many communes in western Nghe An province, officials have to work in remote areas, with scattered populations, and many villages and hamlets are located tens of kilometers away from the commune headquarters through the forest. If they only possess administrative skills, they will find it difficult to truly engage with the local life.
That is why I believe that "intellectualizing commune officials" is an urgent requirement, especially in the current context. Commune officials are no longer just "local": many have been transferred from the province or district after the implementation of the "two-tiered local government" model; some communes have merged two or three old communes, and officials must familiarize themselves with the new area, new community, and new cultural identity. Officials who previously came from the province or district to "direct" the communes now become direct leaders, managers, and planners of new development spaces.
Therefore, it is necessary to equip this leadership and management team not only with knowledge of administrative management, but also with local governance thinking: knowing how to analyze local resources, how to connect projects, and how to mobilize the community to participate. A commune like Chau Kim, wanting to develop community tourism, must simultaneously preserve the forest, maintain the traditional brocade weaving craft, and learn how to welcome tourists. If commune officials are not "intellectualized," they will not know where to start or who to connect with.
Therefore, training programs for commune officials need to be personalized and tailored to the local context:
In mountainous areas like the communes of the former Ky Son district, it is necessary to learn skills in forest land management, coordinate with border guards, reduce child marriage, and combat human trafficking.
In areas around hydroelectric reservoirs such as Ban Ve, Khe Bo, and Hua Na, there is a need to learn about livelihood transformation, aquaculture, and drowning prevention.
In communes with cultural heritage sites that can develop ecotourism, it is necessary to learn how to combine conservation with ecotourism and improve service quality.
Importantly, the province needs to design training programs for commune-level officials in a tailored, personalized manner, using story-based training with specific situations, specific locations, and tailored to specific target groups.
When "intellectualized," each commune official will become a storyteller of policies in a simple and understandable way, helping people see that the commune leaders, officials, and civil servants understand them, belong to them, and work for them. Commune officials are not just people who sign documents, but "conductors" coordinating resources, guiding villagers through difficulties, transforming local resources and ethnic identity into unique specialties, each product having its own story. This is about turning challenges into opportunities and transforming the community into a support system for the commune apparatus.
Every forest like Pù Mát must become a place for community-based tourism development, where resources such as mushrooms, herbs, and spices are exploited rationally and responsibly, processed into OCOP products.
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Reporter:Poor infrastructure, especially internet access, is a major obstacle preventing government policies from reaching people in mountainous regions. Instead of waiting for infrastructure improvements, what groundbreaking solutions do you think are there to overcome this barrier?
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan:Poor infrastructure is a reality in many communes in western Nghe An province. Some communes lack stable 4G coverage, roads are cut off during the rainy season, and children have to walk kilometers to school. But if we only wait for the infrastructure to be completed before starting work, we will miss a golden opportunity. In other words, we "shouldn't wait for roads to be built before we start."
In the communes of the former Quy Chau district, I learned that some Youth Union officials created video tutorials on administrative procedures in the Thai language, which were broadcast through the village's loudspeakers. In the communes of the former Con Cuong district, some communes organized small training sessions right in the village's cultural center, using officials' phones to guide people on submitting applications online.
Such "manual" solutions are merely temporary bridges. We can expand the "Community Technology Team" model, deploy mobile broadcasting stations during peak seasons for paperwork processing, and organize mobile digital library vehicles to reach every village. Just as we once built bamboo bridges for children to go to school, today we are building "digital bridges" to bring people closer to e-government.
Reporter:In the context of accelerating digital transformation, what are your thoughts on the story of an elderly woman from an ethnic minority group who is illiterate and doesn't speak the language, yet has to complete administrative procedures digitally? Are we applying a rigid policy to these special groups?
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan:Imagine an elderly Hmong woman in Huoi Tu commune, illiterate and not speaking the common language, having to register online herself; she would certainly be bewildered. If policies are not flexible, vulnerable people will be left behind.
Digital transformation is an inevitable trend, but it must put people at the center. We need to maintain both in-person and online methods for a period of time, while simultaneously sending officials, organizations, and even volunteer youth to provide hands-on guidance. Digital transformation is not about "showing off digital achievements," but about ensuring that people are served better, faster, and more conveniently.
Reporter:To create momentum for sustainable development in western Nghe An province, how can the government, in your opinion, shift from the role of "provider" of resources to "inspirer" and "connector"?
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan:In the communes of the former Anh Son district, I learned that some villages mobilized people to contribute labor to build roads to their fields, without waiting for state funding. In the communes of the former Tuong Duong district, teachers collaborated with the Border Guard to teach the common language to ethnic minority children so that they would not drop out of school. In the communes of the former Que Phong district, some villages preserved their forests well, receiving a share of the forest environmental service fees, which they then used to establish a scholarship fund for their children.
These models demonstrate that community strength is the key to unlocking the future. When people consider the common good as their own, they will find ways to overcome difficulties, even when infrastructure and budgets are limited. The ABCD mindset (local development based on community assets) is the most important philosophy in local governance.
Reporter:If you had to choose the most important "bottleneck" to remove in order to change the face of remote and disadvantaged communes, which "bottleneck" would you choose: people, infrastructure, or policies?
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan:I would prioritize people. Infrastructure can be built gradually, policies can be adjusted, but if people don't change, everything will remain stagnant. Of course, given the budget, additional support can be provided through special mechanisms as permitted by the National Assembly's Resolution on special mechanisms for Nghe An.
The people here include both officials and citizens, but first and foremost, the leadership and management team. When commune officials are competent and ambitious, when the people trust the officials and work alongside them, everything will move forward. A commune without concrete roads can still change if there is an elder who knows how to encourage people to cooperate, a commune official who knows how to connect projects, and a teacher who knows how to instill dreams in their students.
Western Nghe An province still faces many difficulties, but it also holds immense potential. Each commune and village only needs a "flame"—a dedicated official, a group of young people taking initiative, an exemplary village elder—to ignite hope.
Let's not let geographical distance become a development gap. When we put people at the center, when we personalize governance knowledge, and when policies reach every citizen, the picture of the new rural areas in Western Nghe An will shine with fresh, sustainable colors.
Reporter: Thank you very much, comrade!
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