A new phase of grassroots cultural, sports, and media activities.

Efforts to maintain operations during the initial phase of restructuring.

Following the directives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, from July 1, 2025, Cultural Centers or Cultural-Sports Centers will be transferred to the commune level for management. These units will be responsible for organizing cultural, artistic, and sports activities, visual promotion, mobile propaganda, maintaining clubs, interest groups, and various forms of entertainment for the people.

In reality, during the first few months of implementation, the cultural, sports, and media sectors in many localities faced considerable difficulties. In the former Vinh City area, the City's Cultural, Sports, and Media Center is currently under the management of the People's Committee.Truong Vinh ward"From July to October, the media section still operates across wards, while culture and sports mainly serve within the ward. In wards without their own centers, operations are very difficult due to the lack of specific mechanisms," said Mr. Vu Hong Duc, Deputy Director of the Center.

In the former Quy Hop district, the situation is similar. Mr. Ha Huy Nham, Director of the Quy Hop Commune Cultural, Sports and Communication Center, said: "The district center has moved to Quy Hop commune, but it still operates across communes, especially the communication department which continues to strive to provide information to the entire region. However, organizing events, holidays, or mass movements is difficult due to a lack of funding and confusion regarding the mechanisms."

Despite these difficulties, in many localities, grassroots cultural officials are still striving to maintain the "lifeblood" of the people's spiritual lives. For example, in Nghi Loc commune, despite limited funds, cultural officials have coordinated with mass organizations to hold activities celebrating the Party Congress at all levels, using banners, billboards, and slogans along the main roads of the commune for visual promotion; and maintaining cultural and sports exchanges in residential areas.

"

We determined that, even with changes in the system, people still need a place for spiritual recreation. Sometimes it's just a singing practice session at the village cultural center, a small tug-of-war competition, or a cultural evening to celebrate the Party branch congress, but these things help to unite the community and bring joy to the people.

Mr. Le Van Hoan – Officer of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Nghi Loc Commune.

In Mon Son commune, despite the heavy workload, officials proactively maintain cultural activities at the grassroots level. "We are committed to ensuring that the movement is not interrupted. If we lack personnel, we mobilize the youth union and women's association to participate. For every major holiday, especially to celebrate the Party Congress, the commune strives to have at least one centralized activity so that people can feel involved and experience the shared atmosphere of the locality," said Mr. Nguyen Nam Giang, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Mon Son commune.

Preparations are underway to establish a Public Service Delivery Center.

From the end of October 2025, according to Official Letter No. 7371/SNV-TCBC from the Department of Internal Affairs, Nghe An province is preparing to establish a Center for Providing Public Services at the commune/ward level in two areas: agricultural extension and culture - sports - media - tourism. This is the next step in the roadmap to streamline the administrative apparatus and link public service activities with the practical needs of the people.

However, the requirements for this new model are much higher: from operational capacity and flexibility to the ability to coordinate across multiple sectors. Currently, most communes and wards have developed plans to establish centers; the handover of facilities, finances, and personnel is awaiting approval from relevant departments and agencies.

According to the plan, each commune-level Public Service Center will only have about 3-4 people in charge of all aspects of culture, sports, media, and tourism, while the workload is enormous: organizing cultural and sports activities, managing the cultural center, maintaining the broadcasting system, producing news and articles, coordinating the organization of festivals, preserving historical sites, developing community tourism, etc.

Mr. Ha Huy Nham stated: "Before the separation, the Quy Hop Commune Cultural, Sports and Communication Center had 25 people. If divided among 7 communes, each commune would only have 3-4 staff members. Therefore, the workforce is thin and lacks specialized expertise, especially in the field of communication."

An official in charge of the Tan Mai Ward Cultural, Sports and Communication Center added: "In the near future, the workforce for cultural, sports and traditional affairs in each commune and ward will only have 3-4 people, but they will have to handle around 30 job positions, so implementation will be very difficult."

All stages need to be synchronized for the new model to be truly effective.

According to the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, transferring cultural, sports, and media activities to the commune level is a correct policy, consistent with the spirit of streamlining the administrative apparatus. However, for the new model to be effective, thorough and synchronized preparation is needed, from organization and personnel to operational mechanisms.

Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated: “In the initial phase, commune-level centers will handle many tasks while human resources are limited. The Department will coordinate with the Department of Interior Affairs and local authorities to review and provide specific guidance on personnel structure and financial mechanisms; and at the same time, open professional training courses for staff, especially on multimedia communication skills, cultural institution management, and community event organization.”

"

The establishment of community-level public service centers represents not only organizational changes but also a strategic restructuring. With a clear legal framework and well-trained staff, these centers will become a link between the government and the people, a hub for the dissemination of cultural, sports, media, and tourism values ​​at the grassroots level.

Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh – Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Although the initial phase presents many challenges – from human resources and funding to organizational models – it also provides an opportunity for localities to reflect, innovate their methods, and move towards more professional and sustainable management. Many grassroots cultural officials shared that, during difficult times, they became even more aware of their role in "keeping the flame alive" for the community's spiritual life. "If everyone makes an effort and each locality takes the initiative, the new model will gradually become well-established and bring practical benefits to the people," Ms. Hanh emphasized.

Reforming the administrative apparatus is necessary, but more importantly, it is crucial to ensure that cultural, sports, and media activities at the grassroots level are not disrupted. Thanks to the persistent efforts of cultural officials at the commune and ward levels today, it is believed that once the Public Service Delivery Center model operates stably, a new, dynamic, people-oriented, and sustainable image will emerge, contributing to enriching the spiritual life of the people of Nghe An in the new era.