Strengthening the team of commune-level officials - the key to the effective operation of the two-tiered government system.

Shortage of staff.Mountainous communes are struggling to operate a two-tiered government system.

Mr. Vi Van Bich, a civil servant at the People's Committee of Muong Long commune (Nghe An province), has a primary expertise in construction, but due to a shortage of staff, he has to take on additional responsibilities in land management, agriculture, environment, information technology, and digital transformation. Since implementation...two levels of local governmentThe workload and pressure on commune-level officials and civil servants are increasing. “The workload and pressure have increased significantly. The commune has 13 villages, the furthest of which is nearly 20 km from the center, accessible only by walking on dirt roads. Even outside of working hours, at lunchtime, or on Saturdays and Sundays, the staff are still on duty to handle requests promptly,” Mr. Bich shared.

Muong Long is one of nine communes in Nghe An province that did not undergo mergers and lacks specialized departments such as economics, culture and social affairs, and a public administrative service center, yet it still has to ensure the full functions of a commune-level government. It is a particularly disadvantaged area, with 75% of the population classified as poor or near-poor, and some villages still lacking telephone coverage, internet access, and national grid electricity. The shortage of specialized staff leads to constant overload in processing documents and procedures.

According to Mr. Pham Van Hoa, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Long commune, the commune was allocated 27 staffing positions but currently only has 15. "The public administrative service center lacks sufficient personnel and the quality of service is inadequate, so many applications still have to be received and processed manually," Mr. Hoa said.

With over 12 km of border shared with Laos, a large natural area, and a large population, Tam Quang commune holds a particularly important position in the development strategy of the mountainous and border regions of Nghe An province. After merging with Tam Dinh commune, the workload increased many times over, but the commune still lacks more than 10 staff members. Several officials are nearing retirement or transferring to other positions, putting pressure on those remaining.

Ms. Lo Thi Da Ny, Vice President of the Women's Union of the commune, was assigned to handle the health sector of the culture and social affairs department, despite lacking the necessary expertise. "The workload is large and involves many regulations and policies, so it's very challenging," she shared.

Ms. Kha Thi Hien, Vice Chairman of the Tam Quang Commune People's Committee, said that the commune is assigning staff to take on additional duties and is also seeking approval to second contract staff to support departments and offices to speed up the work process. The staff have also adapted to the work, handling administrative procedures for residents smoothly.

The paradox of local surplus and shortage at the grassroots level.

Nghe An province currently has 8,635 personnel positions across 130 communes and wards, exceeding the temporary quota set by the Central Government by 647 people. However, the paradox of "local surplus and shortage" persists: some areas have an excess of personnel, while others lack key positions. Fifty-six communes are experiencing both a shortage of personnel and a lack of specialized expertise in essential fields such as accounting, information technology, digital transformation, land management, and justice, directly impacting the effectiveness of local government operations.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Tai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong commune: "The Fatherland Front Committee of the commune currently only has a head, but lacks advisory staff, so the workforce is thin, and implementing tasks in the area faces many difficulties."

Mr. Kha Van Thuong, Vice Chairman of the Chau Khe Commune People's Committee, requested: "We are currently lacking positions such as head of the economic department, agricultural specialists, and cultural specialists. Most of our part-time staff have received formal training, and we hope the higher authorities will consider assigning local staff to fill these vacant positions."

From July 1, 2025, when the two-tiered government model is implemented, in addition to over 1,000 tasks transferred from the district level, communes will also have to undertake many new tasks related to decentralization and delegation of power. Meanwhile, the management, legal, professional, and digital transformation capabilities of a segment of commune-level officials remain limited.

In response to this situation, many localities have been flexible, creative, and proactive in arranging and maximizing existing human resources. In Minh Hop commune, the People's Committee reassigned personnel to suitable positions and required officials to actively participate in training to improve their skills. In Dong Hieu commune, only one general accountant was assigned to the Party, Front, and mass organizations, freeing up the remaining staff to increase personnel for the specialized departments of the Fatherland Front.

Mr. Tran Khanh Son, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Hieu commune, said: "We clearly assign responsibilities to each person, striving to 'finish the work, not just finish the hours'; prioritizing the public administrative service center, and assigning capable and communicative staff to serve the people."

Efforts to improve and strengthen the workforce in disadvantaged areas.

To further improve, supplement, and arrange cadres, civil servants, and public employees after the reorganization of commune-level administrative units, the Standing Committee of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee issued Conclusion No. 586-KL/TU. Accordingly, “the transfer of cadres and civil servants between communes and wards must be based on job positions, in accordance with professional qualifications, expertise, and work experience; transfers should be made from areas with a surplus to areas with a shortage, and from areas with a large surplus to areas with a small surplus. In particular, for communes and wards currently having 80 or more cadres and civil servants, a list of cadres and civil servants will be compiled to propose their transfer or secondment to work in communes with shortages.”

In that spirit, on August 15, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Document No. 8311, requesting departments and agencies to compile a list of at least 5% of their staff to be seconded, assigned, or reinforced to disadvantaged communes, prioritizing the fields of land, finance, environment, construction, information technology, and public administration.

However, the "human resource gap" in many communes, especially in mountainous and remote areas, has not yet been filled; this is also a "bottleneck" that needs to be addressed soon so that the two levels of government can truly operate smoothly and effectively. Mr. Ngo Tri Cuong - Head of the Government Building and Youth Union Affairs Department (Nghe An Department of Internal Affairs) said: "The province has implemented the redistribution of cadres from areas with surplus to areas with shortages, coordinating with the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department to compile a list of 5% of cadres, civil servants, and public employees of departments and agencies to strengthen secondment to grassroots levels; at the same time, accepting non-specialized public employees if they meet the conditions according to regulations."

The implementation of a two-tiered government model is a major reform, requiring a strong restructuring of the staff and civil servants at the commune level. When this workforce is adequately staffed, with the right expertise, competence, and a spirit of closeness to the people, the two-tiered government apparatus will operate effectively, contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals in the western region of Nghe An province.