Part 2: Resolving “bottlenecks” from the grassroots

Youths leave villages for distant employment, outstanding mass prospects remain few, and several Party cells experience confusion in cultivating candidate pools. Yet instead of waiting for recruits to appear, numerous Party committees and branches across Điện Biên seek to stay one step ahead: discovering prospective candidates, assigning tasks, providing training, and patiently mentoring outstanding mass elements to afford them opportunities to mature.

Thin cultivation pools for Party recruitment

Đặng Văn Néng, Secretary of the Huổi Thanh 1 village Party Cell, opens the tracking ledger for prospective Party recruits. Over ten names are registered, but beside each entry lies an explanatory note: working away from the village; of eligible age but lacking practical seasoning; capable but rarely joining community activities.

These brief notations reflect the enduring dilemma confronting the Huổi Thanh 1 Party Cell over many years: prospective pools exist yet prove difficult to retain, and young people are present but fall short of conditions for training and admission.

In 2020, the Party cell had 7 rural Party members. Two years later, 2 additional members were admitted. Yet from 2023 through the end of 2025, the branch admitted no new Party members, missing the annual target of 1 to 2 inductees.

Huổi Thanh 1 comprises 100 households belonging to 3 ethnic minority groups: Sán Chỉ, Dao, and Mông. The underlying challenge stems from over 70% of working-age residents regularly laboring far away. With the village lacking young people, the pool for Party development has grown increasingly thin.

Secretary Đặng Văn Néng expressed concern that the biggest hurdle remains youth laboring far from home, leaving few residents behind in the village, meaning that without proactive initiative by the branch, recruitment pools will continue to dwindle.

The situation in Huổi Thanh 1 is not unique. Across multiple highland villages and hamlets, generating candidate pools for Party development is becoming increasingly difficult as younger cohorts depart for distant work, while those remaining do not all possess sufficient qualifications or motivation to strive forward.

In Nậm Pố 3 village, Mường Nhé commune, all 245 households are ethnic Mông. The branch resolution set a target of admitting 1 to 2 Party members annually, yet from 2020 through the end of 2025, the cell managed to recruit only 2 members.

Thào A Trắng, Secretary of the Nậm Pố 3 village Party Cell, stated that while prospective candidates exist, discovering individuals genuinely possessing the will to strive and an attachment to the village is not simple. Many young people work away, leaving mainly older residents behind, which will make recruitment in upcoming years even harder without early cultivation.

According to data from the provincial Party Committee’s Organization Commission, by June 30, 2026, the provincial Party organization counted 51,703 Party members, of whom 31,026 were ethnic minority members, accounting for 60.01%. Nonetheless, across remote and highland localities, creating recruitment pools and nurturing outstanding prospects face persistent hurdles.

According to Bùi Xuân Trường, Deputy Head of the provincial Party Committee’s Organization Commission, difficulties originate from awareness, socioeconomic realities, and linguistic and cultural barriers. Livelihood pressures compel many young people to leave for distant employment; a segment of the public lacks a comprehensive understanding of a Party member’s duties and responsibilities; and traditional customs alongside limited fluency in the national language also affect studying, training, and striving to join the Party.

From a ledger marked with seemingly minor notes, a larger narrative emerges: across highland areas, Party member development entails far more than finding an eligible name of appropriate age - it is a journey of locating, retaining, and cultivating young people truly capable of remaining bound to their villages.

Taking the initiative to “awaken” Party recruitment pools

Confronting thinning development pools, the Huổi Thanh 1 village Party Cell had to transform its operational methods. Rather than passively waiting for the public to step forward, the branch proactively identifies sources directly through grassroots movements and community tasks.

Names are screened and categorized into specific target groups: young union members, militia members, active laborers in production, and prestigious community figures. For each pool, the branch monitors progress, assigns responsibilities, and evaluates practical development. This approach assists Party committees in recognizing active elements early and preventing omissions.

Secretary Đặng Văn Néng stated that the branch committee and members regularly grasp thoughts and aspirations, assigning tasks to test and temper prospective individuals, while assigning Party members to follow and support promising figures. Strong emphasis is placed on generating sources from youths, women, ethnic minority compatriots, and prestigious figures in the community.

This updated methodology yielded prompt results. Since the beginning of the year, the Huổi Thanh 1 village Party Cell has admitted 5 rural Party members, while introducing 2 outstanding mass prospects to Party awareness training courses.

Drawing from grassroots realities, the Nậm Kè commune Party Committee determined that securing Party development pools requires proactive scouting. Annually, branches review outstanding mass prospects, assign target quotas, and deploy committee members to stay attached to villages to identify active elements promptly.

Prospects are placed in practical environments for testing and tempering, with official Party members assigned to track and guide them. Priority is given to youths, women, ethnic minorities, and prestigious figures. Alongside these efforts, the commune updates and applies new Party development regulations. Notably, Conclusion No.78-KL/TW dated July 28, 2026, of the Party Central Committee introduced revised provisions for considering Party admission for those violating population and family planning policies, resolving several bottlenecks in candidate generation across ethnic minority regions.

This approach is demonstrating tangible outcomes. From July 1, 2025, to date, the Nậm Kè commune Party Organization admitted 21 Party members, including fully fulfilling the provincial target of 16 out of 16 members since early 2026. The commune currently has 5 additional prospects finalizing paperwork for admission.

Nguyễn Thị Yến, Head of the Party Building Board of Nậm Kè commune, noted that under difficult on-site conditions, it is imperative to seek candidate sources proactively, stay close to the grassroots, and renew methods, ensuring that living circumstances do not become barriers in identifying and training outstanding prospects. The locality aims to build a truly exemplary contingent of Party members, especially among ethnic minorities, youths, and women, creating successor cadre reserves for the grassroots.

In Mường Nhé, the commune Party Committee also transformed its cultivation methods. Committee members stay attached to the grassroots and attend branch meetings, while Party members are assigned to mentor prospects. The Youth Union, Fatherland Front, and mass organizations coordinate to identify and recommend active elements. Selected candidates do not remain mere names on a roster; they receive concrete assignments for tempering and evaluation.

This proactive approach has produced clear results. The entire commune Party organization currently comprises 1,153 Party members, of whom 794 are ethnic minorities, accounting for 72.31%. Over the first eight months of 2026, the commune Party organization admitted 51 new members, surpassing the provincial target.

According to Tạ Văn Sơn, Secretary of the Mường Nhé commune Party Committee, Party development sources across villages receive increasing attention, particularly among union members, youths, and active citizens. Through practical assignments, many individuals are identified, nurtured, and matured into local cadre and member reserves.

Tạ Văn Sơn noted that this force understands local customs, stays close to the people, and holds community prestige, providing an important foundation for building a contingent of local cadres and Party members.

From accounts in Huổi Thanh 1, Nậm Pố 3, or Nậm Là, generating Party development pools in ethnic minority areas has never been simple. Yet difficulties do not mean waiting passively. Over recent years, the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Party committees across the province have treated this as a crucial Party-building task, concentrating on screening pools, assigning targets, tasking members with mentorship, and linking recruitment with practical tempering.

Methods are tailored closely to local conditions: identifying candidates early where youths abound; broadening sources where youth work far away; and leveraging local members and prestigious figures in dispersed hamlets. The common principle is avoiding superficial numerical targets while prioritizing quality, motivation, and the capacity of prospective members to contribute.

Bùi Xuân Trường, Deputy Head of the provincial Party Committee’s Organization Commission, affirmed that Party committees focus on cultivating sources from union members, youths, militia forces, commune police, village cadres, and prestigious figures, while assigning official members to provide guidance, ensuring strict recruitment procedures aligned with the Party Charter and ethnic minority realities.

These efforts are reflected in concrete metrics. From 2021 through the end of June 2026, the entire provincial Party organization admitted 13,051 Party members, including 9,482 ethnic minority members, accounting for 72.7%. During the 2020 - 2025 tenure, the provincial Party organization fulfilled its goal of eliminating villages without independent Party cells. Across highland and border hamlets, Party organizations have been steadily consolidated and local resources nurtured, creating a foundation to build a contingent of cadres and members close to the people, understanding their needs, and capable of leading the community.

Generating candidate pools is difficult, yet retaining and guiding them to maturity demands even greater perseverance from Party organizations. Across many hamlets, behind every outstanding prospect stand dedicated Party members who patiently guide, assign tasks, provide reminders, and pass down experience. Through this continuity, these “seeds” find a dependable foundation upon which to mature.