Restructuring grassroots cultural and sports institutions - Lesson 3: The problem of adaptive capacity

After more than 4 months of operating under the model of Cultural - Sports Service Supply Center (abbreviated as Service Supply Center), the general picture has become clear: there are encouraging bright spots, but also many gaps. Many units have shown both the advantages and challenges of the transformation process. To go far, it is necessary to have synchronous management in both administration and expertise.

Báo Sài Gòn Giải phóng•02/12/2025

Difficulties in the new model

After the merger, the Chanh Hung Ward Service Supply Center has the additional advantage of the Children's House, the Labor Culture House, and the stadium located in the same area. With a staff of about 200 people, the arrangement of personnel according to expertise and position in activities is very easy to coordinate.

The traditional amateur music activities of District 8 have been maintained effectively. On the occasion of Cultural Heritage Day (November 23, 2005 - November 23, 2025), the Service Supply Center organized the Amateur Music Club Festival, inviting amateur music clubs of the three wards of Chanh Hung, Phu Dinh, and Binh Dong to participate.

Regarding physical education and sports activities, the unit has long had a professional advantage in training. The activities of the center's coaches in schools are like "legs" connecting schools with the center, contributing to promoting the school physical education and sports movement.

Ms. Nguyen Tran Thuc Doan, Director of the Chanh Hung Ward Service Supply Center, said: Currently, the Chanh Hung Ward Service Supply Center has invested in building a new multi-purpose gymnasium at the former District 8 Stadium area (at 302 Pham Hung Street), expected to be inaugurated in April 2026. This new gymnasium will be the venue for two sports competitions at the 2026 National Sports Festival.

Although there are many advantages, the center's operating mechanism is also facing some problems. Ms. Nguyen Tran Thuc Doan analyzed: Previously, the district children's houses were under the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, under the direction of the Youth Union and the City Children's House. After merging the children's houses into the service centers, the City Children's House did not have the responsibility to guide and directly discuss the organization of professional activities for children of the grassroots units. Therefore, the children's playground through the previous clubs and teams was also affected.

To solve this problem, according to Ms. Nguyen Tran Thuc Doan, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City has a joint agreement with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City (because currently the City Youth Union belongs to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City), then the Ho Chi Minh City Children's House will be responsible for guiding and directly exchanging on the organization of professional activities for children of service centers.

In addition, the issue of organizing and operating the children's house under the Service Supply Center, personnel at facility 3 (formerly the Children's House) of the Tan Nhut Commune Service Supply Center is facing personnel problems. Previously, the unit operated under a contract regime, but now it has to recruit civil servants. According to Mr. Tran Ho Canh Phuc, Director of the Tan Nhut Commune Service Supply Center, the Commune People's Committee has issued Official Dispatch 653/UBND dated September 23, 2025, to the Department of Home Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, requesting guidance on contract implementation and guidance on job position projects.

Maintain the brand

For a long time, the cultural and sports centers in the inner city such as District 1, District 3 (formerly) and now the Service Supply Center of Saigon Ward, Xuan Hoa Ward have all developed in a service orientation. The strengths of these centers are that they are all located in the central area, have convenient transportation, and have built a brand, so they must maintain their position to compete with outside units.

Ms. Phan Ngoc Thao, Director of the Saigon Ward Service Supply Center, acknowledged: “People's needs are increasing, especially in the central area where there is too much competition from modern, heavily invested private facilities. For example, Ben Thanh Theater, an institution of the Saigon Ward Service Supply Center, is suitable for the requirements of an event hall with about 1,000 seats in the central area. However, if the event is larger in scale, the partner will certainly have to choose another location. We have to upgrade ourselves and innovate our thinking to serve the needs of the people.”

Sharing this view, Mr. Tran Van Ly, Director of Tan Thuan Ward Service Supply Center, said that the unit also faces a lot of competition from private establishments in the area. Most of the equipment, tools, and instruments supporting professional work were equipped since 2005, not meeting the requirements of the assigned tasks and the quality to serve the people.

Moreover, like many centers across the country, the difficulty the center is facing is the lack of resources from the grassroots. Previously, to implement the model of a district cultural and sports center, there was a source of grassroots talent from the ward. Currently, because there are only 2 levels, the source of grassroots resources is the neighborhood. However, the neighborhoods do not have the funding to organize movement activities, nor do they have the force to participate.

Students listen to historical explanations at the Vinh Loc Mau Than 1968 Fire Line Workers Historical Site (managed by the Cultural and Information Service Center of Tan Nhut Commune, Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: DVCC

According to Mr. Le Huu Son Tung, Director of Xuan Hoa Ward Service Supply Center, the new service supply center model in wards and communes currently faces a common situation: the cultural institutions under their management are located in other wards/communes.

For example, Xuan Hoa Ward Service Supply Center manages 12 facilities, but 7 of them are located in Nhieu Loc Ward and Ban Co Ward. Or, Tan Nhut Commune Service Supply Center manages 4 commune cultural and sports centers, including Hung Long, Phong Phu, An Phu Tay, Binh Chanh and 3 historical relic sites, including Rach Gia Historical Relic Site, Vinh Loc Mau Than 1968 Fire Line Civilian Historical Relic Site, An Dien Soldier Relic Site, cadres, soldiers and people who sacrificed at Lang Sau wetland and Lang Le Cultural Park - the former Flower and Ornamental Plant Center facility.

Mr. Tran Ho Canh Phuc, Director of Tan Nhut Commune Service Supply Center, shared: The unit has proposed the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City to guide the handover of the above facilities to the communes for management, in order to facilitate the management of public assets and provide cultural and sports services to the people in the commune. Many service supply centers currently have the same problem in managing "off-site" facilities. The new model requires one center to manage many institutions located in other wards, causing difficulties in exploiting and monitoring public assets, as well as implementing movements in residential areas. This is a systemic problem, requiring unified guidance from the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City and local authorities to avoid the situation of "not managing - not serving fully".

In general, the problem that ward service centers are facing is not only the issue of service competition, but also the adaptability of the entire public institutional system in the context of urban restructuring. For the centers to continue to play the role of cultural and sports core in the community, a transparent operating mechanism, reasonable decentralization, stable resources and a long-term investment roadmap are needed. If properly addressed, these service centers can both maintain their brand and expand their service space for the people, contributing to strengthening urban cultural life in the new development stage.

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