Current Affairs

Solutions provided by commune-level officials:Final part: Maintaining a strong system from the ground up.

Mai Hoa - Thanh Duy • May 19, 2026 09:39

Currently, Nghe An is entering a phase of focusing on improving the quality of its administrative apparatus, with the key focus being on building a team of grassroots officials.

Content:Thanh Duy - Mai Hoa/Present:Hong ToaiMay 19, 2026

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Currently,Nghe An is entering a phase of focusing on improving the quality of its administrative apparatus, with the key focus being on building a team of grassroots officials. Proactive placement and utilization of officials to meet local practical needs, along with the process of perfecting mechanisms, promoting decentralization and delegation of authority, and implementing KPI evaluation, are key priorities.creatingSynchronized movement throughout the entire political system, aimed at building a team of qualified officials.civil servants, public employeesto meet new development requirements, especially as 2026 has been designated by the Government as the "year of improving the quality of grassroots officials".

For Comrade Luu Hong Duc, Party Committee member and Chief of the Party Committee Office of Dong Hieu commune, his daily work is now not only focused on the Party office as before, but also involves directly handling planning documents, construction drawings, reviewing current situations, and advising on general and detailed planning to serve the new development requirements of the locality.

With a background in architecture and construction, and experience as the former Deputy Head of the Urban Management Department of the People's Committee of Thai Hoa town, he was seconded by the Standing Committee of the Commune Party Committee to support the local government during a period when the commune-level apparatus faced significant pressure on specialized personnel after the implementation of the two-tiered local government system.

At the end of 2025, facing the urgent pressure to strengthen the political task execution capacity of the government apparatus as the workload increased sharply, the Standing Committee of the Dong Hieu Commune Party Committee proactively reviewed and re-evaluated the staff, and implemented the deployment and secondment of cadres in a scientific and rational manner, ensuring that the right person, with the right expertise, was assigned to the right position.

Based on that, three Party officials with in-depth expertise and extensive practical experience in key areas were assigned to the Commune People's Committee to promptly fill the gap in high-quality human resources.

Along with Comrade Luu Hong Duc, Comrade Bui Van Chinh - Member of the Party Committee's Inspection Committee, with expertise in law, was assigned to participate in receiving citizens and resolving complaints and denunciations; Comrade Le Van Vien - Member of the Party Committee's Inspection Committee, with qualifications and experience in the economic field, was assigned to support the management of land, resources, and the environment.

Comrade Tran Khanh Son, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Dong Hieu commune, said that along with personnel arrangements, the commune's Party Committee also established regular monitoring teams and grassroots working groups directly supervised by members of the Standing Committee, closely monitoring the area and promptly grasping and handling complaints, feedback, and suggestions that arise.

In reality, when personnel are assigned at the commune and ward levels, in many localities, a significant number of officials and civil servants with in-depth expertise in fields such as land, finance, information technology, and planning are transferred to the Party and mass organizations, leading to a considerable gap in the state management apparatus at the grassroots level. This places a great demand on local Party committees to review and reassess the workforce, and reallocate resources according to scientific, rational, and effective principles, with the requirements of the tasks at the center.

However, while many places still have a wait-and-see attitude, are hesitant or reluctant to implement the plan, Dong Hieu commune has acted early, decisively, and directly to address the shortage of qualified human resources in key positions, reflecting a proactive and flexible spirit in concretizing Conclusion No. 586-KL/TU dated August 13, 2025, of the Provincial Party Committee on temporarily decentralizing and empowering localities to proactively arrange and assign internal staff to overcome the shortage of professional personnel at the commune level.

In Hoa Quan commune, Comrade Nguyen Trong Anh - Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council - clearly stated the principle of "finding the right person for the job," selecting civil servants based on practical job requirements, prioritizing local people with competence and qualifications. The commune proactively attracted a well-trained construction engineer with experience in both the public and private sectors. Regarding the vacant position of Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department, they will continue to monitor and carefully select candidates, ready to attract truly outstanding individuals who can meet long-term development requirements.

The approaches taken in Dong Hieu and Hoa Quan communes offer noteworthy experience in improving the quality of the commune-level political system. Specifically, where the Party committee is attentive, accurately assesses cadres, assigns them according to their abilities, and prioritizes long-term effectiveness over mechanical arrangements, the system operates more synchronously, with discipline and efficiency. Conversely, a lack of decisiveness and vision in cadre work will make it difficult for sound policies to translate into tangible results.

On February 6, 2026, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee issued Directive No. 07-CT/TU on continuing to consolidate the organizational structure of the two-tiered local government apparatus and promoting decentralization and delegation of power within the province. The Directive clearly demonstrates the province's political determination to address bottlenecks arising from the implementation of the new model; it also affirms the overarching direction: for the two-tiered local government to operate effectively, it is essential to continue strengthening human resources, consolidating organizations, perfecting mechanisms, and enhancing implementation capacity at the grassroots level.

Accordingly, the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee are tasked with continuing to vigorously implement the deployment, secondment, and reinforcement of cadres, civil servants, and public employees to communes still facing difficulties in personnel placement and arrangement, especially in areas with serious shortages such as land management, finance, accounting, environment, construction, information technology, etc., based on the continued implementation of Conclusion No. 586-KL/TU dated August 13, 2025 and Conclusion No. 07-KL/TU dated November 10, 2025 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee.

The Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department is tasked with guiding and urging communes and wards to promptly consolidate and supplement the number of executive committees, standing committees of Party committees, and leaders of departments and offices at the commune level when cadres meet the necessary political and professional qualifications and standards. Along with this, it will continue to deploy and second cadres to areas with shortages; and recruit and accept new civil servants to supplement resources for communes that have not yet met the staffing quotas as stipulated by the Central Government.

To concretize the above directive, an important new direction currently is the recruitment of non-professional personnel into commune and ward civil servant positions according to Government Decree No. 170/2025/ND-CP dated June 30, 2025. The Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department and the Department of Internal Affairs are implementing this process with the goal of expanding human resources at the grassroots level, utilizing experienced personnel, and gradually addressing the shortage of officials.

Simultaneously, in the process of consolidating the workforce, the People's Committee of Nghe An province approved the amendment of Decision No. 87/2025/QD-UBND dated November 10, 2025, on the decentralization of authority in the management of cadres, civil servants, public employees, and workers. In reality, although the authority to recruit commune-level civil servants is assigned to the People's Committees of communes, no locality has yet organized new recruitment due to limitations in professional capacity, organizational conditions, and economic efficiency.

Therefore, adjusting Decision No. 87 to transfer the authority for recruiting commune-level civil servants to the Provincial People's Committee is considered more appropriate to the requirements of centralization, professionalism, and synchronization, creating conditions for the province to be more proactive in recruiting, allocating, and utilizing human resources throughout the province. On May 14th, the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution No. 08-NQ/TU on building and improving the quality of commune and ward officials and civil servants in Nghe An province for the period 2026-2030.

In addition, Nghe An province is implementing a new step in improving the quality of its officials using modern management tools. On May 7, 2026, the Provincial Party Committee issued Plan No. 51-KH/TU on building a performance evaluation system (KPI) for officials, civil servants, and public employees throughout the province's political system. According to the roadmap, the survey, statistics, data standardization, and development of the KPI index will be completed in May 2026; the common software will be finalized and operating regulations issued in June 2026; and a pilot program will be conducted in several agencies and units in July 2026 before a preliminary review and finalization for province-wide implementation.

The development of a KPI system demonstrates a strong commitment to shifting the evaluation of officials towards a quantitative approach, using work efficiency as a measure, creating a basis for more effective selection, utilization, and promotion of personnel. In this new model, high work pressure, high interconnectedness, and the requirement to directly serve the people will make it increasingly difficult for a mindset of working half-heartedly, averaging, and avoiding responsibility to persist.

In particular, a highlight of this entire process is the strong focus on the grassroots level, staying close to the grassroots, accompanying the grassroots, and using practical experience as the basis for adjusting policies and organizing implementation. This is demonstrated by the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee when directly working with communes and wards in clusters to listen to difficulties and obstacles, and directing timely solutions.

Working with local authorities, Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council - emphasized that 2026 is the "year of improving the quality of grassroots officials." Therefore, he requested that communes develop solutions to improve advisory capacity and the quality of the staff, building a team of officials with strong political acumen, good moral character, practical skills, innovative thinking, and the ability to quickly adapt to the requirements of digital transformation and new management models. Simultaneously, he urged the implementation of a mechanism for evaluating officials, replacing weak and incompetent officials, and prioritizing officials with a strong sense of responsibility and good capabilities. He also called for the implementation of performance evaluation based on KPIs (Key Performance Indicators); and continued review and reorganization of the organizational structure and personnel to match their abilities, strengths, and job positions.

Another pressing issue is attracting high-quality human resources to the commune level. With increasing job demands but disparities in working conditions, income, and development opportunities compared to urban or provincial levels, retaining and attracting talented officials to the grassroots will require more competitive policies that provide long-term incentives.

Looking back at nearly a year of operating the two-tiered local government system, the difficulties at the commune level, especially the personnel issue, cannot be resolved in the short term. The shortage of highly specialized personnel, the disparity in the quality of staff across different areas, the pressure to adapt to the new model, the demands of digital transformation, and the need for modern governance capabilities remain major problems, requiring a long process, fundamental and systematic steps, continuous improvement, practical experience summation, and appropriate adjustments. The implementation process depends heavily on the synchronized, decisive, and persistent involvement of the entire political system; on the unified direction of the province, the proactive approach of the grassroots level, the cooperation of officials and Party members, and the collective efforts and solidarity of the people.

There is still much work to be done and many bottlenecks to be overcome, but with strong political determination, the right direction, and unwavering unity, Nghe An is gradually building a solid foundation for the new model to be truly effective and sustainable in the new development phase.