As population sizes, Party member counts, and supervisory scopes evolve, the non-professional cadre contingent at the grassroots-level must be consolidated to fulfill requirements in leadership, administration, and public mobilization. From selecting suitable individuals to tempering them through fieldwork and delivering practical training, the goal remains building a cadre contingent endowed with competence, prestige, and fortitude to stand firm at the grassroots-level and serve as successor reserves for localities.

Part 1: Granting opportunities, testing young talents

In this new stage of development, village-level workloads are mounting and standards are rising. Consequently, village cadres must not only stay close to the grassroots level, thoroughly understand their jurisdictions, and maintain proximity to the people, but also demonstrate flexibility in administration, embrace modern technology proactively, and adapt to digital transformation and updated work methodologies. Amid these imperatives, numerous young cadres are being afforded opportunities to test their abilities, affirming responsibility and competence across concrete grassroots-level assignments.

From supporting staff to Party cell leaders

Lò Thị Hiền Trang, born in 1997, is a Party member in Na Vai village, Sam Mứn commune. Admitted to the Party while still a university student in 2019, Trang accrued three years of experience as a semi-professional cadre assisting the commune Party Committee. From early 2025, she was trusted and elected Deputy Secretary of the village Party Cell. Following restructuring, Na Vai absorbed a portion of Pom Lót village, raising the total household count to 162; this expanded scale introduced heightened demands on grassroots-level leadership. Thanks to her demonstrated capacity and sense of responsibility, she was entrusted with the post of village Party Cell Secretary.

Transitioning from an advisory and assistant role, Trang now directly organizes, directs, and assumes accountability for the operations of a Party cell comprising 23 members. This transition required her to revise her work approach, moving from reviewing written reports to direct listening and on-site investigation. Trang shared that her previous tasks centered on drafting documents, advising, and liaising with branch secretaries, leaving many matters understood solely through reports. Serving as village Party Cell Secretary provides her with conditions to stay closer to the village, meet each Party member and resident in person, listen to their thoughts, and assess developments firsthand.

Promptly after the village was reconstituted, Trang joined the Party cell in formulating a resolution and promulgating working regulations tailored to the new development period. The resolution outlines nine focal targets, incorporating fresh goals and elevated benchmarks such as admitting one to three Party members within a single term and upgrading digital skills for cadres, Party members, and citizens. Notably, 100% of Party members received specific task assignments, with each member tasked with monitoring and assisting one or two poor or near-poor households in the village.

Enhancing the quality of Party cell meetings represents another focal priority for Secretary Lò Thị Hiền Trang. She shared that regular branch meetings are scheduled on the third day of every month. Ahead of each session, she thoroughly prepares the agenda, selecting grounded topics for members to debate openly, thereby fostering a democratic and objective atmosphere. Recognizing her youth and comparative lack of experience relative to senior members, she remains dedicated to listening to advice, treating every meeting as an opportunity to learn and refine her leadership abilities.

The dedication of the village Party Cell Secretary has earned recognition from members and residents alike. Lò Văn Kiên, a member of the Na Vai village Party Cell, assessed that Trang is a young, capable, and responsible cell secretary who takes initiative in her duties. Her defining qualities are an open-minded spirit, attentiveness, and a willingness to tackle difficult tasks. Village matters are discussed democratically; assigned responsibilities are executed proactively, while unfamiliar issues are researched and consulted with veteran cadres to ensure effective implementation, steadily cultivating trust and prestige.

Carrying village responsibilities in one’s twenties

In late August, persistent downpours turned the access path leading to an outlying residential cluster in Huổi Chanh village, Núa Ngam commune, into a slick, muddy track. Village Head Sềnh A Văn carried a handheld loudspeaker, visiting each household to remind parents to send their children to school ahead of the new school year opening. He candidly shared that this cluster sits at a high elevation, lacks mobile network coverage, and remains isolated from the main settlement, necessitating direct, in-person notification. During the rainy season, the slippery path caused him to stumble and fall, yet as village head, he felt duty-bound to deliver necessary information to residents regardless of hardship.

Born in 2004, Sềnh A Văn was appointed interim Head of Huổi Chanh village on July 1, as the commune restructured its village network and consolidated key personnel. Huổi Chanh is a border village located nearly 30km from the commune administrative center, home to 64 households with over 300 residents. The village lacks electricity, lies within a telecommunications dead zone, and features dispersed settlements. Consequently, the village head’s responsibilities present considerable challenges for a cadre of such young age.

Selecting Văn to lead the village in his early twenties was the result of deliberate consideration to meet operational demands in the new development phase of the village and the commune. Before this assignment, Văn served for over a year as Head of the village Security Team. During that tenure, he coordinated with functional forces to eliminate a complex security spot linked to illicit drug trading in the village and facilitated sending one resident to compulsory rehabilitation. That work provided him with fortitude, maturity, and experience spanning report writing and incident handling to mass communication, thereby establishing credibility among the people.

Nevertheless, moving from security team leader to village head represents a major step, particularly for a young man in his early twenties. Văn recalled feeling genuinely anxious upon receiving the assignment, wondering whether his voice would carry weight given that many villagers are old enough to be his parents or grandparents. After many sleepless nights, he concluded that winning public trust requires acting rather than merely speaking. Whenever encountering unfamiliar procedures, he consults experienced predecessors; regarding matters affecting residents, he discusses and reaches consensus before taking action. Both Party Cell Secretary and the Head of the Front Working Committee of the village possess extensive experience and provide dedicated guidance, helping him grow more confident.

Over nearly three months as village head, Văn has rolled out practical undertakings, including coordinating with medical personnel to organize free health checkups and update electronic health records directly at residents’ homes due to the lack of a village cultural house, mobilizing complete student enrollment for the new school year, and encouraging villagers to tend existing pineapple and food crop acreage diligently.

Evaluating the new village head’s performance, Sềnh A Vừ, Secretary of the Huổi Chanh village Party Cell, noted that Văn exhibits a strong learning mindset and actively updates his knowledge to improve himself. While his direction of village affairs was initially hesitant, he has made noticeable and effective progress. Preliminary surveys reveal that over 70% of villagers support Văn continuing as village head when formal elections are conducted under statutory regulations in the coming time.

Lò Thị Hiền Trang and Sềnh A Văn represent two of the young cadres recently entrusted with key duties across villages in the province. What unites them is not merely their youth, but their approach to new duties: starting with concrete tasks, braving difficulties, listening attentively, and proactively learning to fulfill their missions.

Granting opportunities to young cadres is an essential step in consolidating personnel after village mergers. Yet determining selection methods to simultaneously streamline the apparatus, rejuvenate personnel, upgrade cadre quality, and meet new developmental requirements remains a vital question confronting localities during grassroots-level reorganization.