Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Tien Hai (second from the right) inspects the operations of the Long Xuyen Ward Public Administrative Service Center.
TRANSFORMING FROM OBJECTIVE NECESSITY
Early July 2025 marks a historic milestone as the new An Giang province officially comes into operation, based on the merger of the entire natural area and population of the former Kien Giang and An Giang provinces. With a natural area of 9,888 km² and a population of nearly 5 million people, An Giang becomes a "super-unit" of provincial-level administration. The restructuring, streamlining of the organizational apparatus, and merger of administrative units is an objective necessity with profound political , organizational, and practical significance, contributing to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the entire political system.
Central Committee member, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Mung emphasized: “The province is seriously implementing the policies of the Central Government, the Provincial Party Committee, and the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee on organizing a unified, effective, and efficient two-tiered local government apparatus. Government decrees on decentralization, delegation of power, delineation of authority, and the organization of public administrative service centers have been thoroughly understood and strictly implemented. The Provincial People's Committee has established inspection teams led by provincial leaders to work directly with localities to resolve obstacles and shortcomings. Many difficulties in organizational structure, personnel allocation, and public administration operation have been promptly resolved, helping units operate stably from the very beginning.”
Youth union members guide people through administrative procedures.
However, over the last six months of 2025, the actual operation of the two-tiered local government system is revealing challenges that need to be frankly identified. The administrative pressure in units such as Rach Gia ward – formed from nine former wards with a population of over 250,000 people – places significant pressure on grassroots officials. Many communes, wards, and special zones have expanded in scale to almost the same level as the old district level, forcing state management teams to broaden their thinking, vision, and working methods.
Along with this came the upheaval in elected bodies. The number of representatives in the commune-level People's Councils fluctuated significantly, merging from 2 to 9 administrative units, with some areas having from 18 to 208 representatives. Speaking about the importance of this restructuring, Standing Committee member of the Provincial Party Committee and Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, Le Hong Tham, emphasized: "This is a crucial legal foundation not only to ensure the continuity and stability of local state power organs but also to enable the grassroots government apparatus to operate smoothly and effectively in a completely new organizational context."
THE "BACKSTEM" OF HUMANITY
To streamline the administrative apparatus and ensure smooth operation, the "bottleneck" of geographical scale must be overcome through technology. An Giang has achieved impressive results: 100% of commune and ward centers and special zones are connected to high-speed internet; 100% of electronic documents are exchanged through the management system. The province is implementing solutions to enhance the application of digital technology and reform administrative procedures regardless of administrative boundaries to remove bottlenecks and create favorable conditions for citizens and businesses. Many localities are proactively innovating to overcome administrative barriers. Son Kien commune is experimenting with sending meeting documents via email; the People's Councils of Binh Duc ward, Nhon My commune, and Vinh Gia commune have created QR codes to send documents; Ha Tien ward has implemented the "Paperless Meeting" software to save costs and speed up progress. These are models that need to be replicated to realize the goal of digital government.
Human resources are the decisive factor. At the appointment ceremony for officials in early July 2025, Central Committee member and Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Tien Hai urged: “In the context of the province's vast potential and favorable conditions for development, officials need to have a broader, more creative, and insightful vision. At the same time, they must apply their knowledge flexibly while always adhering to the Party's regulations and the State's laws. Leaders of agencies and units need to promote the application of science and technology, especially digital technology... to be closer to the people, meeting the province's development requirements in the new phase.”
Digital transformation is being implemented at the People's Committee of Tien Hai Commune.
Currently, the core leadership team, after restructuring, basically meets the requirements of the tasks. In bright spots such as the Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone and Tri Ton commune, many officials hold master's degrees; in My Thoi ward, the Vice Chairman of the People's Council holds a doctorate. Not only are officials at the commune and provincial levels "striving" to meet new development needs, but those working at the hamlet and neighborhood levels are also gradually "maturing." Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, with a university degree and a certificate in political theory, left her position at the Phu Huu Commune Party Committee Office to take on the role of Secretary of the Phu Thanh Hamlet Party Branch. "Previously, my duties were limited to the office field, but now that I'm at the grassroots level, I have to approach things more deeply and broadly. The work in the hamlet after the merger is almost like a small commune, with many files and documents. To get used to and do the job well, I learn on the job and roll up my sleeves to do more hands-on work," Ms. Oanh shared.
Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Secretary of the Rach Gia Ward Party Committee, Mai Hoang Khoi, affirmed the determination: “With existing potential and advantages, the support of the province, and the aspiration to rise, we have every reason to believe that Rach Gia will develop and become a comprehensive economic, industrial, and marine economic center of the province and the southwestern coastal region. Rach Gia strives for an average annual growth rate of total product value of 11.63% or more. This is not only an economic development goal but also a political responsibility of the ward towards the overall development of the province.”
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/-chia-khoa-de-an-giang-but-pha-a476767.html
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