On July 25, Vietnam's Minister of Home Affairs, Phạm Thị Thanh Trà, emphasized flexible organizational management for local governments during a meeting to review first-half performance and discuss second-half plans. She stressed the need for a customized administrative approach that suits the specific characteristics of each region, arguing that "Hanoi's 'clothes' should be different from those of a remote mountainous area."
The Minister announced plans for the central government to set an overall staffing quota, which local governments would then use as a basis to allocate personnel to their subordinate communes (xã, or townships/wards/districts). Furthermore, she suggested creating a regulation to grant local governments the authority to independently organize their departments based on population size, area, and work characteristics. "Some places need multiple departments, while others may not. Without flexibility, all localities will be wearing the same clothes, which may be ill-fitting," she explained.
This announcement appears to be a solution to several issues that have arisen during the recently implemented second phase of administrative reform. A key challenge has been the difficulties faced by the unprecedented new commune government model and the officials who have taken on immense responsibilities. The Minister emphasized, "Rather than pursuing perfection while operating the new model, it is crucial to identify and solve problems and create a government that is closer to the people."
The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to submit 16 new laws to the government regarding local governments, organizations, civil servants, and pensions. They also intend to develop new job performance indicators (KPIs) for the new commune model to calculate staffing for 2026-2030 and introduce a fair and democratic evaluation system to retain capable civil servants. In addition, a plan is underway to build housing for officials in newly merged areas and construct new commune offices by 2030.
Meanwhile, Nguyễn Quốc Hữu, Director of the Department of Home Affairs for Thái Nguyên province, who attended the meeting, pointed out the difficulties of paperwork and record-keeping, as well as the uneven skills among civil servants. He proposed a plan to hire non-permanent commune employees who are skilled in information technology (IT) and have a deep understanding of local affairs as official civil servants.
Phan Văn Bình, Director of the Department of Home Affairs for Đà Nẵng province, also complained about the shortage of specialized personnel in fields like finance, IT, and construction. He requested the establishment of "practical, work-oriented" training programs instead of theoretical ones.
In response, Nguyễn Quang Dũng, Director of the Civil Servants and Staff Bureau at the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated that a regulation to hire non-permanent commune employees as official civil servants has been submitted to the government. However, he drew a line, stating that this would only be possible when there are vacancies and that "not everyone can become a civil servant."
Regarding the shortage of specialized personnel, he recommended that local governments explore options such as dispatching specialists from the provincial and district (huyện) levels to communes or hiring contract workers for specialized fields like IT. The Ministry of Home Affairs also added that it is developing practical, work-oriented training plans.
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