Policies only have an effect when implemented by officials with the right qualities, competence, and sense of responsibility. The Party says that to achieve ambitious development goals and unlock social resources, Vietnam must detect, appoint, and make effective use of truly capable people.
Developmental demands set new standard for officials
President Ho Chi Minh once said that “cadres are the root of all work” and that success or failure depends on the capability of officials. Today, the requirements are higher.
Officials must be able to take on new and difficult challenges, be placed in positions suited to their abilities, and deliver tangible results. Reform should therefore go beyond selecting the right person for the right job. It should create mechanisms that allow capable people to take on major responsibilities, exercise authority, and have the resources needed to deliver results.
Major General Nguyen Van Sau, Deputy Director of the Institute of Defence Strategy and History, said: “I hope cadre work will shift from simply managing people to developing and effectively using people. We need to move from preparing cadres for each term to developing a leadership workforce for the country’s long-term strategic tasks. Most importantly, capable people should be entrusted with major tasks and given the authority they need. Those who create value should be properly recognized, while those who fail to meet requirements should be replaced promptly.”
Strategic cadres should be assigned major tasks
The 14th National Party Congress selected 200 Central Committee members, who are expected to generate new momentum and breakthroughs for national development. Strategic-level officials should be entrusted with the difficult major tasks that require comprehensive thinking and a broad national vision.
Associate Professor Le Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Party Building under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, stressed the need to prioritize the development of a contingent of strategic-level officials. They are the "architects", the force responsible for planning, leading, shaping, and driving national development.
“Every official, from the strategic level to the grassroots level, should follow President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching: ‘Whatever benefits the people, do your utmost to achieve it; whatever harms the people, do your utmost to avoid it.’ If we do that, the policies of the 4th Plenum will translate into the words and actions of every Party member and official, creating a movement in which Party members lead by example and the people follow,” said Mr. Cuong.
Greater attention is needed on the part of grassroots officials as Vietnam implements its two-tier local government model. Many responsibilities formerly handled at the district level, as well as some functions delegated from the provincial level, have been transferred to the commune level—the tier closest to the people.
The goal of creating mechanisms to find, attract, and reward talent and accurately assessing officials and assigning them tasks matching their capabilities is to build a cadre workforce with strong qualities, competence, credibility, and a commitment to public service. That is essential to turning Party decisions into tangible results to achieve Vietnam’s development goals in the new era.
