Arrangement of Da Nang, Quang Nam: Innovation in thinking from listening to people

Listening to the people while "running and queuing"

On the morning of April 23, the Da Nang City Party Committee passed Resolution 28-NQ/TU on the arrangement of commune-level administrative units of Da Nang City, expected to include 15 commune-level administrative units and 1 special zone.

It is worth noting that this is the third resolution in less than 10 days on the arrangement of commune-level administrative units in Da Nang (including: Resolution 25-NQ/TU dated April 15, 2025; Resolution 26-NQ/TU dated April 22 and Resolution 28-NQ/TU dated April 23). The arrangement plans accompanying the resolutions have also changed significantly each time to ensure compliance with the Central Government's requirements and, more importantly, "to please the people".

Da Nang City adjusts the names of communes and wards, rearranging them to match the place names according to suggestions from the people.

Specifically, Resolution 25 issued a plan for Da Nang to have 18 communes, wards and 1 special zone. The naming of communes and wards will be based on current districts and numbering. After the resolution was announced, many city residents expressed concerns about the technical names of the new wards and communes and proposed naming them after historical and cultural sites of the city.

Listening to the people, on April 22, the Da Nang City Party Committee issued Resolution 26 on renaming communes and wards after the reorganization. The city's branded landmarks appeared one after another. On social media platforms, a series of articles sharing information on Resolution 26 expressed agreement and support for these names.

In Quang Nam province, according to the initial plan (Resolution 45-NQ/TU dated April 18, 2025), the province plans to rearrange 233 communes and wards into 88 communes and wards. The names of the new communes and wards are mainly numbered in order according to the formula "current district name + number (from 1 to the end of the number of arranged communes)". Not only Quang Nam people but also many tourists, culturalists... think that the naming is too mechanical, not suitable for a locality with hundreds of years of culture like Quang Nam; and expressed the wish that the names of the new communes and wards should be associated with historical relics, famous places, bearing the typical cultural depth of Quang Nam.

On the morning of April 20, just over a day after the initial plan was issued (afternoon of April 18), the leaders of Quang Nam province recalculated the naming of administrative units. On April 21, Quang Nam province officially issued Resolution 46-NQ/TU adjusting the names of communes and wards associated with places, historical relics, and cultural sediments, instead of numbering them in order. Similarly, the names of Hoi An's wards were even consulted three times to create the highest consensus among the people.

Quang Nam province promptly adjusted the names of wards (after rearrangement) in Hoi An city to suit the thoughts and aspirations of the people.

Although in the urgent stage of completing the dossier to submit to the Central Government, the leaders of Quang Nam province and Da Nang city still prioritize listening to the people's opinions, demonstrating a spirit of openness and high responsibility. Such timely and decisive adjustments have received praise not only from local people, but also from intellectuals, tourists, and reporters of press agencies - as a vivid proof of winning the hearts of the people.

"If you win the hearts of the people, you can do anything"

At the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Da Nang City, General Secretary To Lam emphasized: " Da Nang City has created a miracle on the Han River with the '5 heights' model", and "the greatest achievement of the Da Nang Party Committee is to win the hearts of the people ". The statement not only summarizes a development journey, but also contains a consistent truth: The consensus of the people is the launching pad for all miracles.

Merging provinces and rearranging commune-level administrative units is a major policy of the Party and State, which is being vigorously implemented in the spirit of “running while queuing”, that is, implementing while adjusting to suit reality. But in the end, the biggest goal is still to build a streamlined, effective, efficient apparatus to better serve the people. Therefore, the people are not only the subjects affected but also the center of benefits, the subjects that those who build plans and policies must listen to.

Whether it is the arrangement of administrative units or the implementation of any major policies, the goal is to serve the people better.

In historical practice, the Vietnamese people have repeatedly proven their strength when they “win the hearts of the people”. From the successful resistance war against France and the US to the victory over the Covid-19 pandemic, all stemmed from the consensus and solidarity between the Party, the government and the people.

The policy of merging provinces and streamlining the apparatus also comes from reality and demands from the people.

In the article “How long will it last?” published in Nhan Dan Newspaper in 1953, when the entire nation was entering the stage of a general counter-offensive against French colonialism, President Ho Chi Minh once advised: “If you win the hearts of the people, you can do anything. If you go against their will, you will run here and there.” This teaching is not only a guideline for cadres and party members during wartime, but also the core of the art of leadership in peacetime: If we know how to put the interests of the people first, all difficulties will be resolved, all policies will be successful.

Listening to people's opinions does not slow down the reform process; on the contrary, it is a necessary step to create sustainable social consensus. Specifically, Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province adjusted the naming scheme of wards and communes after receiving many comments from the people - which shows the receptiveness, flexible management capacity and high democratic spirit.

Da Nang City leaders meet with veteran officials

It can be said that winning the hearts of the people is not only an achievement but also a criterion for measuring the success of any public policy. When the people agree and support, any reform can be implemented smoothly, with less conflict and achieving real results.

In the process of arranging and merging administrative boundaries or any major policy, the lesson of “winning the hearts of the people” is the greatest lesson. Localities such as Da Nang and Quang Nam are showing their willingness to listen and adjust to create the highest consensus. This is also a typical success of mass mobilization work, a solid premise for major policies today and tomorrow to have a foundation for long-term success.

Listening to the people, Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province promptly adjusted the names of communes and wards after the rearrangement and received praise and active support from the people - vivid proof of the opinion: Da Nang and Quang Nam are popular with the people.

This is a solid foundation for Da Nang and Quang Nam to successfully implement the arrangement of commune-level administrative units in particular and major policies in general, as Uncle Ho taught: "If you win the hearts of the people, you can do anything."

Vu Le

Source: https://congthuong.vn/sap-xep-da-nang-quang-nam-doi-moi-tu-duy-tu-viec-lang-nghe-dan-noi-384532.html