Trần Anh Tuấn, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Việt Nam Association for Administrative Sciences. VNA/VNS Photo

Resolution No. 60-NQ/TW calls for restructuring the local government into a two-tier system, provincial and communal levels, and reducing commune-level units by 60–70 per cent. This has raised public concerns about the capacity and qualifications of local officials, following such mergers.

Trần Anh Tuấn, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Việt Nam Association for Administrative Sciences, spoke to Vietnam News Agency about this issue.

What qualifications should commune-level public officials meet in order to fulfil their roles effectively under the new administrative structure?

Since Đổi Mới (Renewal), the Party and the State have issued various regulations on the standards of ethics, qualifications and competencies for public officials, including those at the commune level.

As the country moves toward a more streamlined and efficient organisational structure, with only two levels of local government, the roles, powers organisational structure and operating mechanisms of provincial and communal authorities will be significantly redefined.

In this context, digital technology and artificial intelligence will play an increasingly important role in supporting and enhancing public administration.

This transformation requires the civil service system to be restructured around specific job positions and associated titles. The outdated mindset of lifetime employment must be replaced with a more flexible contract-based system. Civil servants should be appointed to roles that match their job responsibilities, eliminating the need for seniority-based promotion exams. A unified civil service regime must be established.

In tandem with these reforms, the criteria for civil servants must be redefined. It is no longer sufficient to focus only on general moral qualities or rely heavily on academic degrees.

New standards must emphasise fundamental knowledge and essential skills such as administrative management, task execution, citizen engagement, document drafting, teamwork, digital literacy and the application of AI.

As for personal qualities, public officials must embody a strong sense of duty to serve the people, demonstrate initiative and accountability, and be willing to take responsibility for the collective good, while always operating within the bounds of the law.

Can the upcoming commune mergers be seen as an opportunity to screen and standardise qualifications for local officials? Will those with sub-degree qualifications or part-time university degrees be excluded?

This is indeed a valuable opportunity to assess, screen and improve the quality of commune-level officials, but not to eliminate those with lower or non-traditional degrees. A university degree, whether full-time, part-time, distance learning or continuing education, is legally equal in value. We should not discriminate based on how the degree was obtained.

What truly matters is an official’s actual capability to perform well. Policies must be well-crafted and implemented effectively, citizens’ and businesses’ needs should be resolved promptly, not delayed due to someone's educational background, but rather due to their functional competency.

Even in the digital era, with the support of technology and artificial intelligence (AI), a lack of ability to use these tools renders them ineffective. AI is a means to improve performance – it cannot replace human responsibility and judgment.

The draft amendments to the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants propose no longer distinguishing between commune-level officials and those at the provincial or central levels. What is the significance of this change?

I strongly support this proposal from the Ministry of Home Affairs. In a unified country, the civil service system should also be unified. Commune-level government is an integral part of the state apparatus and the work done by commune officials is just as much public service as that at higher levels.

If approved by the National Assembly, this reform would be a major step toward building a modern, professional, unified, accountable and effective civil service. It would shift the system away from career-based administration, to a position-based approach, aligning with the new two-tier local government model being implemented.

What do you think about the proposal to assign former district and provincial-level officials to work at newly-merged communes?

In public service, the reassignment or rotation of officials across different levels of government is quite normal, especially as we move toward a two-tier local governance model. Reorganising and strengthening the workforce is essential.

After the mergers, the new communes and wards will have significantly different roles, functions, structures and operating mechanisms compared to the current ones. Therefore, it's necessary to evaluate and reassign staff accordingly.

Bringing in experienced officials from provincial or former district levels to the commune level is not only appropriate. It’s essential to enhance capacity and ensure effective implementation of the new mandates at the grassroots level.

In your view, when choosing between candidates with formal qualifications and those with strong grassroots experience, who should be prioritised?

Many district-level officials have come up through grassroots roles, so it’s not about drawing comparisons between levels. Qualification and capability are two different things. Someone may have a high degree but lack the ability to perform effectively. Having a degree doesn’t guarantee success, but those who succeed often do so because they have real capacity.

Experience is valuable. It’s drawn from the real world and helps avoid mistakes and failures. But experience alone isn’t everything, what truly matters is capability.

I was particularly struck by Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s closing remarks at the 11th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee. He emphasised that when it comes to personnel, the highest standard must be the requirements of the job and other criteria come after.

So, between formal education and experience, I would choose the person who is fully capable of meeting the demands of the role. — VNS