Rejuvenating village and commune officials: A requirement stemming from practical experience in Nghe An.

"The core" of the residential area

Born in 1990, Mr. Dinh Xuan Tien – Secretary of the Party Branch and Head of the Front Committee of Hamlet 6, Dai Hue Commune – is one of the young cadres contributing to the innovation of leadership methods in the residential area. Simultaneously fulfilling "two roles," Mr. Tien has become an important bridge connecting Party resolutions into practical life. What is noteworthy is not only his sense of responsibility but also his flexible, people-oriented approach, suitable for the current digital transformation context.

In addition to traditional methods of propaganda, Mr. Tien proactively created videos, articles, and images for social media, and updated information on the village's activities on community groups. As a result, policies and resolutions were conveyed vividly and easily understood, creating consensus among officials, Party members, and the people.

A notable feature of Hamlet 6 is that many key positions are now held by members of the 80s and 90s generations, from youth union secretary and farmers' association chairman to women's association chairman. According to Party Secretary Dinh Xuan Tien, the advantage of this group is their pioneering spirit, ability to embrace new things, and willingness to dedicate themselves to the common good.

A prime example is Ms. Ho Thi Hai, Head of the Farmers' Association Branch. Not only does she encourage members to diversify their crops and contribute to the new rural development program, but she also personally visits successful production models to survey, film, and photograph them, then shares the information on social media "resident groups." Images of model gardens, green roads, and successful economic models spread rapidly, both motivating producers and creating a learning effect within the community.

Thanks to the support of young people, many new economic models have emerged in Hamlet 6. Typical examples include the high-tech civet farming model of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dong (born in 1992), the "Thung Pheo" red wine product linked to experiential tourism of Mr. Ho Viet Viet (born in 1989), and the wooden furniture production facility of Mr. Hoang Luan (born in 1996).

Besides developing their family economies, young officials in the hamlet are also a core force in mobilizing social resources for infrastructure development, organizing cultural and sports activities, caring for the poor, and supporting disadvantaged families.

According to Comrade Ho Dinh Thang, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Dai Hue Commune: The common characteristic of the young cadres is that they dare to think, dare to act, and know how to leverage the advantages of information technology and digital transformation in implementing political tasks. Not only are they dynamic in organizing movements, but they also directly develop their family economies, becoming compelling role models for the people to follow.

Currently, Dai Hue commune has 20 hamlets, of which about one-third have young cadres holding key positions; many of them have university degrees. In practice, it has been shown that when young cadres demonstrate innovative thinking and a spirit of dedication, the Party's resolutions are no longer just slogans but truly "take root" in each residential area.

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When young cadres demonstrate innovative thinking and a spirit of dedication, the Party's resolutions are no longer just slogans but truly "take root" in every residential area.

Comrade Ho Dinh Thang - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Dai Hue Commune

Also showing the mark of young people, in Tien Dong block, Vinh Loc ward, the "dynamic duo" consisting of Party Branch Secretary and Deputy Head of Security Team Phung Van Hung and Block Leader Nguyen Van Huy, both from the 8X generation, have contributed to the development of the block's movement.

Before each new task, the Party Committee and the Block's leadership always proactively "take a step ahead" to gauge public opinion by meeting with influential people in the community, or visiting households where people regularly gather over "a cup of tea," including breakfast places and coffee shops, to exchange information, gather feedback, and listen to opinions. Alongside this flexible approach to mass mobilization, young cadres in the Tien Dong block also effectively utilize Zalo and Facebook groups to disseminate information to the people, combining it with the public address system to ensure timely and transparent information.

Sharing his practical experience, Party Branch Secretary Phung Van Hung said: To put policies into practice, each block official and Party member must truly be close to the people, understand the people, have a firm grasp of the local area, know where to foster community cohesion, and identify reputable individuals to disseminate information and create positive influence. Thanks to this approach, many projects and tasks in Tien Dong block have become shining examples in Vinh Loc ward. The synchronized installation of security cameras contributes to maintaining security and order; the street lighting system is comprehensive; cultural and sports activities, summer activities for children and teenagers, and social welfare work are implemented creatively with the joint efforts of businesses and philanthropists.

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The ward currently has 55 residential blocks, many of which have young cadres serving as Party branch secretaries or block leaders. Areas with young cadres in charge have maintained comprehensive development movements and have been evaluated as having excellently fulfilled their duties.

Comrade Hoang Thanh Son - Head of the Party Building Committee, Vinh Loc Ward Party Committee

In practice, in many localities throughout the province, young cadres in villages and hamlets are clearly demonstrating their pivotal role at the grassroots level, possessing many advantages such as good health, a proactive spirit, the ability to apply technology, and flexible and creative leadership and organizational methods. This group is at the forefront of economic development, production restructuring, and promoting digital transformation.

Currently, on the "Nghe An Front" Fanpage, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province posted the issue "Rearranging villages and residential areas: Many opinions suggest prioritizing young people as village secretaries and heads. What are your thoughts?", attracting a lot of attention. Besides comments emphasizing the need for dedicated, enthusiastic, and people-oriented individuals working in villages and hamlets, regardless of age, many opinions also expressed agreement with prioritizing young people for the positions of village secretary and head. In reality, where young, dynamic officials are close to the people, the movement thrives and social consensus is strengthened. When each hamlet and village is strong, it forms the foundation for strong communes and wards, and for the sustainable development of the province.

The need to rejuvenate the team of village and hamlet officials.

Villages and hamlets are not administrative levels within the political system, but they play a particularly important role in the socio-political life at the grassroots level. They are the places where the Party's guidelines and the State's policies are directly conveyed to the people; they are also the quickest channel for reflecting the thoughts, aspirations, and problems arising from real-life situations.

In the context of a two-tiered local government system, there is a fundamental need to innovate governance methods towards a more modern, effective, and people-oriented approach. The demand for strong digital transformation in all aspects of the political system and social life, along with the policy of continuing to reorganize villages on a larger scale, necessitates the development of a young village and hamlet official workforce to shoulder the responsibilities in residential areas.

However, finding young people to participate in village work is not easy, given the low proportion of young people living and working in these areas. Furthermore, most young people are not enthusiastic about participating in village affairs.

To increase the participation of young people in community activities in villages and hamlets, according to Comrade Mac Van Nguyen - Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Nhon Mai commune: It is necessary to select young, qualified, capable, and experienced non-professional community workers at the commune level to bring to the villages. A long-term, fundamental solution is to promote economic development, create job opportunities and income for young people right in their hometowns, while also focusing on nurturing and educating young people about the ideals of contributing to their homeland and country.

Agreeing with that spirit, Comrade Hoang Thanh Son - Head of the Party Building Committee of Vinh Loc Ward Party Committee, said: In the near future, through the reorganization of the blocks, the locality will consolidate the staff to ensure effective operation, paying attention to reviewing and assigning young people to participate in work in the blocks. At the same time, it will strengthen political and ideological training associated with the development of Party members, creating a source of successors for the blocks.

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The fundamental solution to increasing the proportion of young cadres in villages and hamlets is to promote economic development, create jobs, and provide stable income for young people right in their hometowns; at the same time, focusing on nurturing and educating ideals, and arousing the spirit of dedication and responsibility of the younger generation towards their homeland and country.

Comrade Mac Van Nguyen - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Nhon Mai Commune

Meanwhile, Ho Dinh Thang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Dai Hue commune, said: All levels should continue to research and pay attention to policies aimed at attracting young people to participate in village work. Local authorities should also strengthen the practice of holding two positions simultaneously in villages to increase income for village officials.

Rejuvenating the workforce of village and commune officials is not only an immediate requirement but also a long-term strategy for reforming governance methods at the grassroots level. When young people are given opportunities, motivation, and an environment to contribute, each residential area will become a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the locality in the new era.