Accordingly, 10 district-level party committees (including 8 districts, 1 town, and 1 city) and 129 party organizations at the commune, ward, and township levels under current district-level leadership will be dissolved. In their place, 45 party organizations at the commune and ward levels will be established, inheriting all existing organizational structures and party members from the former units.

After the merger of commune-level administrative units, Tuần Giáo district now comprises five communes: Tuần Giáo commune, formed by merging Quài Cang, Quài Nưa, and Tuần Giáo town; Quài Tở commune, merging Tỏa Tình, Quài Tở, and Tênh Phông; Mường Mùn commune, merging Mùn Chung, Mường Mùn, and Pú Xi; Pú Nhung commune, merging Pú Nhung, Rạng Đông, and Ta Ma; Chiềng Sinh commune, merging Chiềng Sinh, Mường Thín, and Mường Khong.

Following guidance from the central and provincial levels, Tuần Giáo district has conducted a comprehensive review of staffing across both district and commune levels, including civil servants, public employees, and semi-specialized personnel. A restructuring plan has also been developed to manage public assets and organize administrative units across both levels. As of the latest data, the district level has 79 officials and civil servants (including 34 women and 25 individuals from ethnic minority groups), comprising 13 holding master’s degrees, 65 with bachelor’s degrees, and 1 with an associate degree. In terms of political theory training, 23 have advanced-level training, 32 intermediate-level, and 1 basic-level.

There are also 78 other public sector employees, of whom 69 hold bachelor’s degrees, 6 have associate degrees, and 3 have vocational qualifications. Regarding political theory, 4 have received advanced training and 12 intermediate training.

At the commune level, there are 374 officials and civil servants, with 5 holding master’s degrees, 325 bachelor’s degrees, 17 associate degrees, 26 vocational degrees, and 1 untrained. In terms of political training, 13 have advanced and 259 intermediate. Additionally, 200 semi-specialized staff are active at the commune level.

A total of 19 individuals have requested early retirement under the Government Decree No.178 at the district level (6 from the Party and mass organizations, 13 from local government), and 89 at the commune level.

Reallocating staff in the newly merged commune units has proven challenging, raising concerns for many. For example, Tênh Phông commune currently has 19 officials and civil servants; 12 of them have submitted retirement requests. The remaining seven hold positions such as Party Secretary, accountant, office administrator, judicial officer, land management officer, head of the veterans’ association, and youth union secretary. Notably, most of the 12 resigning staff are young, born between 1986 and 1993, and 10 have bachelor’s degrees, 1 has an associate degree, and 1 has vocational training.

Their reasons vary: with the new administrative center located in Quài Tở, some live 25-30km away, making commuting difficult. Others feel their qualifications or skillsets may not meet the new job demands following the merger.

Lầu A Sính, Secretary of the Tênh Phông commune’s Party Committee, shared: “Some colleagues have concerns and wish to step away, but others remain committed. We know that the first period after relocating to the new office will be tough, especially with housing and transportation. For now, we plan to rent accommodations to stay close to work.”

Quàng Văn Cương, Head of the Organization Sub-commission of the Tuần Giáo district’s Party Committee, stated: “We’re strictly following the directives of the Central Committee and the provincial Party Committee to ensure staff reassignment is conducted with integrity, transparency, and fairness, in line with the Party and State regulations. Personnel appointments are based on staffing needs, qualifications, leadership capacity, credibility, and a willingness to take initiative and responsibility.”

The Organization Sub-commission of the Tuần Giáo district’s Party Committee is currently reviewing files of party members, officials, and public employees for reassignment to the newly merged communes. At the same time, they are awaiting detailed guidance from the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee on staffing allocations and commune-level appointments to proceed accordingly.

Stabilizing the new party and government structures and appointing qualified officials to appropriate positions will be a decisive factor in the success of the administrative consolidation at the grassroots level.