Two-level local government: Close to the people, for the people - Part 3: Keeping the "heartbeat" of the new commune level
After days of struggling with the people to overcome the fierce floods in each village on the border, the two-level government of Nghe An continues to step into a new challenge: Sustainably operating the "heart" of public administration at the commune level - where it now receives and handles procedures that were previously under the authority of the district and provincial levels.
Political Reporter Group - Party Building• August 17, 2025
After days of struggling with the people to overcome the fierce floods in each village on the border, the two-level government of Nghe An continues to take on a new challenge: Sustainably operating the "heart" of public administration at the commune level - where it now receives and handles procedures that were previously under the authority of the district and provincial levels. At the commune-level public administration centers, each file is processed quickly and transparently; and each satisfied smile of the people has proven that the reorganized apparatus is not only closer to the people, but also serves more effectively, strengthening trust right from the grassroots.
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From the remote Pa Khom village, nestled at the foot of the 1,500m high Pha Ca Tun peak on the Truong Son mountain range, to reach the center of Tri Le commune, Mr. Va Ba Mai had to overcome steep roads, which were constantly eroded during the rainy season. He said: "In the past, to get a red book, you had to travel more than 40km down to Kim Son town, through the dangerous Bu Chong Cha slope. Some people went by motorbike from dawn." Mr. Mai had taken his relatives to do the paperwork many times, so he understood the hardships of the people: money, time and even the fatigue of having to wait.
Those hardships and expenses are no longer there. Thanks to the operation of a two-level local government, communes are more clearly decentralized; staff are trained in professional skills, software connecting with the province operates smoothly, and the situation of "paperwork must go first, people follow later" is no longer there. All procedures are received and processed immediately "one-stop" in the digital environment, in accordance with the law, following the process but quickly and publicly. "People are very excited because they can do the procedures right on the spot, without having to travel," said Mr. Mai.
That joy is not only for Mr. Mai and the people of Pa Khom village. Mr. Ngan Van Hoat (71 years old), in Na Lanh village, has just completed the social pension procedures at the Tri Le Commune Administrative Center, and is still surprised. "I thought the procedure would take all day. Unexpectedly, the staff guided me enthusiastically and did it quickly; with a center like this, the people will have less trouble," he said.
Tri Le commune has a natural area of about 261.94 km², with a border of more than 18 km adjacent to Laos. The whole commune currently has 2,782 households with 14,432 people, of which 1,511 are poor households (accounting for 54.31%) and 840 are near-poor households (accounting for 30.81%), residing in 21 hamlets and villages scattered on the high mountains of Northwest Nghe An.
In that context, the operation of the Tri Le Commune Public Administration Center is a big step forward. According to Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, Director of the Tri Le Commune Public Administration Center, Lu Thanh Long: In just the first month of operation, from July 1 to 30, 2025, the center received and processed 152 records, of which 150 records were processed entirely online. The areas of interest to the people are mainly justice - civil status, policy, land and finance, industry and trade. In addition, the center also certified 268 documents, including 12 transaction contracts, 7 addresses and 249 certified copies from the original.
The numbers seem small, but in the context of a difficult area like Tri Le commune, it is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of a government close to the people and for the people. For the Mong, Thai, and Kho Mu people in the Northwest of Nghe An, these changes not only bring convenience but also instill in them a belief: the State is truly approaching through actions, not just words; clearly demonstrating equality in access to public services, gradually narrowing the gap between the mountainous and lowland areas.
From July 1, along with the whole country, Nghe An officially operates a 2-level local government: province and commune. This is a step to concretize the policy of reforming the administrative apparatus of the Central Government, but the synchronous and widespread implementation in a province with a large area like Nghe An is truly a breakthrough. From 412 communes, wards and towns, after the arrangement, now there are only 130 commune-level administrative units, an unprecedented streamlining of administrative boundaries.
Not only stopping at the change in the number of administrative units, it is worth noting that Nghe An has had a thorough, scientific and in-depth preparation. As early as June 20, 2025, Dong Loc commune was chosen as the test operation point, connecting online with the Provincial Party Committee bridge point and the remaining 129 communes. This is not only an announcement ceremony but also a large-scale test of the ability to operate the system synchronously throughout the province.
Immediately after that, delegations led by the Provincial Party Standing Committee, leaders of the Provincial People's Committee and many key leaders directly went to the grassroots, inspected the field, and comprehensively assessed the implementation situation. Departments and branches were assigned specific tasks, established standing units to closely monitor the situation, provide professional guidance and promptly handle problems arising during the operation.
Notably, the provincial leaders pay special attention to maintaining the operational efficiency of the commune-level public administrative centers, the department that directly contacts and serves the people every day. This is considered the "heart" of the new commune level, playing a key role in building the initial trust of the people in the apparatus after the arrangement. Because just a small bottleneck in the process, or an irresponsible attitude can make people feel annoyed, affecting their trust in the local government when switching from 3 levels to 2 levels.
With careful preparation, after more than 1 month of implementation, despite facing many difficulties, especially the impact of storm No. 3, the 2-level local government system of Nghe An still operates smoothly.
At the regular meeting of the Provincial People's Committee on August 5, 2025, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh affirmed: "The new model has initially operated stably and has generally received positive public feedback, especially in receiving and handling administrative procedures." That assessment not only comes from the perspective of the provincial leaders, but is also verified through the practical experience of the grassroots people.
In Van An commune (formed from the merger of Nam Dan town and two communes, Xuan Hoa and Thuong Tan Loc), Mr. Nguyen Trong Nam - a 1/4-class disabled veteran said: "When they knew I was a disabled veteran, the center's staff proactively completed all the procedures. I just had to sit and wait for the results." He shared that while completing the regime and policies, his eyes shining with satisfaction.
In many places such as Cua Lo, Tan Chau, Van An, Tam Hop, Hung Chau, Quan Thanh, Hoang Mai, etc., the model "Saturday for the people" is flexibly deployed. Staff of the Commune People's Committee Office and the Information Technology Support Team of the Youth Union receive and handle all administrative procedures at the commune level; at the same time, guide people to operate on the digital environment, contributing to promoting digital transformation at the grassroots level.
The above stories reflect a major movement: The two-level local government in Nghe An is becoming more substantial. The change is not only in the arrangement of the apparatus or the adjustment of boundaries, but also in the way of operation. From the management method, working style to service attitude, everything has changed from "management" to "service", taking people's satisfaction as the measure.
From July 1 to August 6, 2025, the total number of records recorded with synchronized data of the entire province on the National Public Service Portal is as follows: The entire province has 171,300 records (the 6th largest number of records nationwide), of which 124,952 records are submitted online, accounting for 72.94%. The commune level has 139,603 records (the 5th largest number of records nationwide), of which 99,978 records are online, accounting for 80.01%. The number of queries and document exploitation from the electronic data management warehouse of organizations and individuals on the National Public Service Portal is 1,128,038.
Right from the first days of implementing the two-level local government, a major change in organization and institution, Nghe An province chose a practical approach, taking the motto "holding hands and showing work" as a consistent principle.
In a province with a large area, diverse terrain, and uneven staff qualifications, “holding hands and showing work” is not just a slogan but is understood in the most practical sense: Directly imparting knowledge, guiding operations, practicing skills and solving specific problems. From digital transformation, handling administrative procedures, land management to household registration, justice…, all are implemented through practical training, detailed instructions, online support and maintaining regular interaction.
That motto was quickly concretized into focused, key actions, spreading throughout all areas of State management. The overarching goal is not to let the new commune level "swim alone" in the machinery and pressure of operation. For example, the Department of Science and Technology organized training for 400 commune and ward officials on how to use the management information system and digital signature of public services. Not stopping at "lecture and leave it at that", the department also established 3 specialized Zalo groups: Group to support commune and ward officials; Group to support specialists of departments, branches and sectors; Group to directly connect the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee with 130 secretaries and chairmen of communes and wards. Thanks to that, all arising problems are responded to and handled immediately in the online environment, helping to save time, reduce procedures and increase operational efficiency.
Director of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Quy Linh said: Right from the first day of operation, network operators and telecommunications units have arranged human resources to be on duty at public administrative centers to accompany commune-level officials in technical operations and access to new processes. In particular, to strengthen the connection between the province and commune levels, Nghe An is urgently completing and is expected to officially put into operation the Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) from September 2025. This is a system that plays the role of a technological bridge, helping the government to promptly interact with the people, while simultaneously managing the operations of administrative levels.
Similarly, the Provincial Public Administration Service Center also deployed comprehensive training on professional skills and techniques for using the electronic administrative procedure settlement system, closely linked to the video tutorial ecosystem and specialized Zalo group to provide immediate support when commune officials encounter difficulties.
The land sector - one of the most complicated issues at the grassroots level - has not been "ignored". The Nghe An Provincial Land Registration Office has organized "hand-holding, instruction" training for all 130 communes and wards, and at the same time, established a Zalo group to support the handling of situations arising from reality. Creating this specialized "hotline" helps the commune level feel secure, handling land transactions in accordance with regulations and procedures.
Regarding civil status and law work, the Department of Justice organized two consecutive intensive training sessions in June and July 2025. The content did not stop at the theory of the electronic civil status system, but went into the process of document processing, file circulation, and decentralization in the new organizational model, ensuring that commune-level officials and civil servants, even though they had just taken on the task, still had enough capacity to not be confused when implementing it.
As the most remote and difficult locality in Nghe An province, Keng Du commune has more than 30 km of border with Laos. For a long time, people on both sides of the border have been friendly, married, and had children. Previously, due to foreign factors, families with Lao parents who wanted to get a birth certificate for their children had to travel more than 70 km to the district. Difficult roads and limited awareness caused many children to grow up without a birth certificate.
Since July 1, the Keng Du Commune Public Administration Service Center has been operating under a two-tier local government model. Although facilities, electricity, and internet are still lacking, and some staff are not yet familiar with the new work, thanks to the "hand-holding, showing the job" training sessions from the department and branches, the center has been operating smoothly. In July alone, it received and processed 86 files on time, mainly related to household registration and justice; including many cases of issuing birth certificates to children whose father or mother is Lao.
Mrs. Xeo Me Pi in Huoi Phon 1 village was very emotional when holding the birth certificate she had just received for her son Xeo Van Chan and said: "His father is Laotian, and he was only issued a birth certificate when he was 25 years old. Thanks to the guidance of the staff, he can now work for a company."
After more than a month of implementation, the two-level local government in Nghe An has affirmed its effectiveness not only through numbers but also through each transaction and procedure. From Tri Le and Keng Du communes to Cua Lo and Van An communes, public administration - the "heart" of the new commune level - has been beating steadily, spreading the spirit of service; with methodical steps, close companionship and the motto of "holding hands and showing work", the government is closer to the people and more professional. And there, each satisfied smile and each quickly resolved file become a measure of success and the foundation for a modern, future-oriented, service-oriented administration.
On July 31, 2025, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued a Decision to promulgate a list of 205 administrative procedures to be implemented regardless of administrative boundaries within the province's scope.
(To be continued)
