According to Circular 68/2025/TT-BQP issued by the Ministry of National Defense, provincial authorities will now directly assign recruitment quotas to communes (instead of districts assigning them to communes as before). The chairpersons of commune-level People’s Committees now sign orders for medical examinations and conscription (previously handled at the district level). This shift makes the role of communes in the 2026 recruitment season crucial to ensuring both the quantity and quality of conscripts.

In 2026, Pu Nhi commune was assigned a quota of 32 citizens for enlistment: 17 for military service and 15 for the People’s Public Security. Following the administrative merger, Pu Nhi quickly established and consolidated its Commune Military Service Council, mobilizing the entire political system in the recruitment effort. The commune has focused on early and thorough review, verification, and re-checking of eligible candidates.

On September 11, the commune People’s Committee issued the 2026 recruitment plan, detailing standards of age, health, education level, and political qualifications. A working group was formed to visit every hamlet, review all youth of conscription age, and verify information directly with families.

According to Đinh Quang Bạo, Chairman of the Pu Nhi commune People’s Committee and Chairman of the commune Military Service Council, the screening of candidates and political vetting is now conducted at only two levels instead of three, which increases the burden on local authorities. “The greater the responsibility, the more proactive and meticulous we must be in recruitment, ensuring transparency, fairness, and accuracy at every stage,” he emphasized.

So far, Pu Nhi commune has issued orders for 116 citizens of conscription age to attend the preliminary medical screening, which is scheduled to be completed before October 15, 2025.

In Tuần Giáo commune, preliminary medical screening for 109 citizens will take place on September 29. Afterward, the commune Military Service Council will review results on October 10 and submit a consolidated report to the provincial Military Command on October 12. With a clear timeline, Tuần Giáo has mobilized the political system to ensure smooth execution of all tasks in the recruitment process.

Quàng Văn Cương, Chairman of Tuần Giáo commune People’s Committee and Chairman of the commune Military Service Council, explained that council members were assigned to visit families of eligible youth to learn about their living conditions, aspirations, education, and political awareness. This fieldwork follows the “3 visits, 4 knows” approach: visiting the citizen, the family, and the locality; and knowing their health, education, background, and moral character. This ensures that both local authorities and receiving units fully grasp the number and quality of recruits before finalizing the list and issuing enlistment orders.

In 2026, the entire province is assigned a quota of 850 citizens for military and public security service. As Điện Biên continues to consolidate its two-tier government model, with shifting functions and responsibilities at the commune level, the recruitment process requires greater thoroughness, precision, and grassroots engagement.

To meet the principle of “complete process, sure candidates,” achieve 100% of quotas, and improve the political, health, and educational quality of recruits, Điện Biên has been strengthening training for recruitment officials and applying consistent, practical measures across all localities. This contributes to improving the quality of recruitment and meeting the requirements of building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new context.

Currently, communes across the province are actively preparing for the preliminary medical screenings, scheduled from September 1 to October 20, with official examinations from November 1 to December 15. The finalization of lists and the enlistment call-up are expected in February 2026.