Stay close to the people, understand their needs, and promptly resolve problems at the grassroots level.

The households involved in the investment project for the residential area along National Highway 10 in Nga Son commune have voluntarily dismantled their walls blocking the road.

Visiting Nga Son in the final days of the year, it's easy to feel the changing pace of life in this land associated with the legend of Mai An Tiem. From wide, newly opened roads to lush green fields, everything bears witness to continuous development. What gives Nga Son its enduring vitality is the guiding principle of "being close to the people, understanding their needs, and promptly resolving issues at the grassroots level," which has been deeply ingrained in the local officials and civil servants.

The story of land clearance for infrastructure construction projects is a prime example of the effectiveness of working closely with the people. The investment project for the residential area east of National Highway 10 in Nga My commune, formerly a project aimed at bringing practical benefits to people's lives and changing the face of the local rural area, was not without its difficulties. Three households disagreed because the People's Committee of Nga Son town (formerly) had taken their land in 2021 to build road infrastructure without a land acquisition decision. A tense atmosphere prevailed because, at the end of April 2025, these households purchased building materials to construct a wall blocking the road.

However, the leaders of Nga Son commune chose a different approach. From the Party Secretary to the Chairman of the People's Committee, along with specialized departments, they directly visited each household to engage in dialogue. On November 28, 2025, the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, the People's Committee, the Fatherland Front Committee, and specialized agencies of Nga Son commune held a direct dialogue conference with three households that had built walls blocking the road. At the conference, the households were informed and persuaded by the commune leaders to dismantle the walls. Simultaneously, the People's Committee of the commune committed to the households regarding the implementation of land clearance, compensation, and resettlement according to legal regulations. After being informed and persuaded, on December 2, 2025, the households voluntarily dismantled the walls blocking the road, allowing people to travel freely.

Not only in land clearance projects, the motto "close to the people, serving the people" is also clearly demonstrated in the work of receiving citizens and resolving complaints and denunciations. Before the merger, some communes had shortcomings in land management, causing public dissatisfaction and leading to complaints and denunciations. Drawing profound lessons from those experiences, the Nga Son commune government determined that resolving problems at the grassroots level must begin with transparency and accountability. Along with assigning officials and civil servants to receive citizens and issuing regulations and rules for receiving citizens, Nga Son commune publicly announced the schedule for receiving citizens immediately after the two-level local government came into operation. From July 1, 2025 to the present, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune has consistently maintained regular citizen reception on Tuesdays and received citizens on an ad hoc basis when necessary. Specifically, the head of the government and officials of Nga Son commune have received citizens 161 times. At the same time, they received and categorized 110 petitions and letters from citizens and forwarded them to the relevant specialized departments for resolution in accordance with regulations.

The proactive approach of listening to, not avoiding, and promptly addressing legitimate requests from the people, as well as resolving issues as soon as they arise, has strengthened the people's trust in the Nga Son commune government. This is an important prerequisite for promoting grassroots democracy and creating consensus among the people on all policies and guidelines of the Party and the State.

Not only in Nga Son, the motto "close to the people, serving the people" has spread strongly to communes and wards such as Hac Thanh, Nong Cong, Hoang Hoa, Trieu Son, Tho Xuan... with the image of officials going to villages and hamlets to listen to the people. This shows that the motto "close to the people, serving the people" in Thanh Hoa starts from the highest leadership level. Evidence of this is that the chairmen of the People's Committees at all levels, directors of departments and agencies, heads of state administrative agencies, and heads of agencies and units in the province have seriously implemented the system of receiving citizens regularly, on an ad hoc basis, and frequently as prescribed by the Law on Receiving Citizens. This is not just an administrative duty but has become a habit, proactively listening and engaging in direct dialogue with the people to promptly resolve their legitimate complaints, suggestions, and grievances.

The effectiveness of the motto "close to the people, serving the people" is not subjective, but measured by concrete data, demonstrating the continuous efforts of the entire political system. According to the Provincial Inspectorate's report, in 2025, state administrative agencies at all levels in the province received 16,335 visits from 18,098 people. Of these, officials regularly receiving citizens at provincial and commune-level agencies and units received 11,859 visits from 12,766 people; scheduled and unscheduled citizen reception by heads of agencies at all levels totaled 4,476 visits from 5,332 people. In addition, 371 delegations with 2,178 people visited citizen reception offices at all levels throughout the province. The number of large delegations received at the Provincial Citizen Reception Office was 34 delegations with 321 people. Of these, the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee received 4 delegations with 21 people. Officials regularly received 30 delegations totaling 305 people. In general, the number of citizens visiting citizen reception offices at all levels to file complaints, provide feedback, and make suggestions increased compared to the same period last year, especially in the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

More importantly, through citizen reception activities, the Chairmen of the People's Committees at all levels have received opinions and suggestions from the people and clarified policies and laws to ensure people understand. At the same time, they have directed relevant agencies and units to focus on promptly resolving the legitimate rights of the people within their authority. With these achievements, from the province to the communes and wards, not only has the motto "close to the people, serving the people" been effectively implemented, but a solid foundation of public support has also been successfully built, creating a great impetus for the sustainable development of Thanh Hoa province.

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