Thoughts and feelings of grassroots communications officers

Since the merger of communes and wards, each locality has formed its own communication channels, Fanpages, Zalo accounts, etc. These channels operate quite effectively thanks to the team of grassroots communication officers.

Communications officers from Tan Minh commune are working on a field assignment.

Diverse and timely information

Based on field surveys, since July 1, 2025, with the implementation of a two-tiered local government system, a small number of district radio station staff have been assigned to communes to continue their professional duties related to communication work. Most communes, since the merger on July 1, 2026, have established their own communication channels. These include the commune People's Committee's electronic portals, Fanpages, and Zalo groups.

To maintain the operation of the aforementioned websites, in the communes, there is professional participation from officials of the Public Service Center or the Department of Culture and Social Affairs … They are mostly non-professional staff, but when participating in this professional activity, many are enthusiastic and passionate about their work.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Luan, an officer at the Public Service Center in Tan Minh commune, said that as an agricultural extension officer, when the agency merged into the Public Service Center, she was assigned additional tasks working with colleagues in the communication team. Initially, when she started the job, she was unfamiliar with filming, photographing, and writing articles for social media platforms, but gradually she got used to it and found it more enjoyable.

With the goal of effective communication, in many communes and wards, local authorities pay special attention to propaganda work and the communication team. Some communes even invest in offices and equipment such as cameras, photographic equipment, and modern, professional computers to support their staff in their work...

Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Director of the Tan Minh Commune Public Service Center, said that right after the merger, local leaders paid special attention to communication work; encouraging and creating conditions for the staff to work in the best way. Currently, every day, communication officers continuously post local events on the commune's electronic portal, Fanpage, digital platforms, etc., with many vivid images and audio recordings to keep people updated on the latest information about the locality.

Improve operational efficiency

The communications officer in Chi Minh commune created a radio program.

Through their work in communes and wards, most grassroots communication officers have found that the merger brings many advantages, such as a more streamlined organizational structure. The leadership and management of the Party committees and government are more focused and unified. Information and propaganda at the grassroots level are also disseminated quickly, realistically, and more closely to the people. They themselves have the opportunity to hone and improve many professional skills such as writing news articles, taking photos, producing radio programs, managing the commune's electronic information portal and Fanpage, as well as participating in supporting local activities.

However, after the merger, the workload increased while the workforce for grassroots information work remained limited. Some officials had to take on multiple responsibilities, from writing, editing, filming, program production, and posting news articles on digital platforms to participating in serving political , cultural, and social tasks in the locality.

Furthermore, only a few economically well-off communes receive support from the leadership in terms of modern equipment, while many other communes lack the necessary machinery for communication work.

Therefore, grassroots communication officers all hope for more attention to their benefits and policies. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan, an officer at the Chi Minh Commune Public Service Center, said that after the merger, officers have to take on many responsibilities. The pressure regarding time, deadlines, and work quality is quite high, while the current benefits and policies for officers with multiple responsibilities are limited and lack allowances, which somewhat affects the morale of the professional staff at the grassroots level.

Officials directly involved in professional communication work hope that local and city leaders will pay attention and review the situation to develop a plan for restructuring and assigning personnel appropriately and sufficiently to specialized communication positions; reducing dual responsibilities will help maximize the quality of grassroots communication activities; and at the same time provide the best working conditions.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thoa, a staff member of the Culture and Social Affairs Department working in communication in An Hung commune, hopes to be given the opportunity to participate in short-term, hands-on training courses on news writing skills and video shooting and editing techniques using smartphones, specifically designed for grassroots communication staff. She particularly hopes that relevant authorities will guide communes in applying additional digital tools and software to optimize the time spent producing news articles for staff who also handle communication work in the communes.

HO HUONG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/tam-tu-cua-can-bo-truyen-thong-co-so-543740.html