Part 4: Bringing resolutions to life

This includes improving the capacity of grassroots delegates and promoting the teaching of the Vietnamese language to people in remote areas. When this is achieved, resolutions will no longer be just dry words on paper, but will become a vital force in every village and every family.

Improving quality of people’s delegates

With the implementation of the two-level local government model, the entire province has over 3,000 commune-level People’s Council delegates (including the former district level), of whom nearly 450 are village Party Cell secretaries and chiefs representing ethnic groups. However, not every delegate can fully maximize their role. In reality, some delegates are limited in capacity and qualifications, not meeting the requirements of the new period. Many lack training in operational skills, voter contact, and drafting opinions, making the translation of resolutions into concrete action ineffective.

Weak delegate quality leads to the People’s Council’s activities being formalistic, most clearly seen in the study and decision-making on socio-economic issues, the budget, and basic construction. For example, delegate Vàng Thị Giống, Head of the Women’s Union of Mường Nhé 2 village, Mường Nhé commune, has not even finished 5th grade, making it difficult for her to grasp the content of resolutions and legal documents. This affects her ability to communicate, discuss, vote on, and supervise policies, leading to difficulties in her activities.

This is a common situation for many ethnic minority delegates in remote areas, where conditions for learning and accessing information are limited. “Just because someone is local and speaks the ethnic language doesn’t mean they can be a good delegate. The important thing is they must clearly understand the resolution’s content, grasp the communication method, and know how to link the resolution to the practical interests of the people. Only then can the resolution truly enter life,” emphasized Thào A Vảng, former Vice Chairman of the Sính Phình commune People’s Council.

Therefore, training and improving the knowledge and skills of delegates is essential for them to truly promote their “bridging” role between the government and the people, helping resolutions come to life. So, besides selecting reputable people who understand the people and speak their language, the People’s Councils at all levels are focusing on providing legal knowledge, assembly skills, and voter contact/feedback skills for delegates. When fully equipped, they not only “convey” resolutions but also actively participate in planning, supervising, and providing feedback on policies right from the grassroots.

By implementing many synchronous solutions, the quality of the commune-level People’s Council delegates in the province has gradually improved, meeting the requirements of the new period. At the start of the 2021-2026 term, the province had 2,711 commune-level delegates. Of these, 1.07% had postgraduate qualifications; 33.8% had university degrees; and the remaining 65.33% had sub-university qualifications. In political theory, 1.4% of delegates had high-level and 45.5% had intermediate-level qualifications, much higher than the 2016-2021 term (where postgraduate was 0.02%, university 7%, and the rest sub-university), showing a clear shift in standardizing and enhancing the capacity of grassroots delegates.

Practice in Điện Biên shows that delegates who are village Party Cell secretaries and chiefs always connect the government with the people, but their numbers are still limited. For the 2026-2031 term, the province aims to improve the quality of commune-level delegates towards being more standardized, professional, and closer to the people. It will focus on legal training, supervision skills, and voter contact, while also identifying and planning for capable young officials and ethnic minority officials, especially secretaries and village chiefs. The goal is for the commune People’s Council to become a democratic forum, honestly reflecting public opinion and strengthening trust in the grassroots government.

Removing “invisible wall”

If delegates are the bridge for resolutions to reach the people, then eradicating illiteracy and improving Vietnamese language skills for the people is the foundation for resolutions to be effective. In reality, in many highland and border villages of Điện Biên, illiteracy and functional illiteracy are still common. In 2020, nearly 20% of Điện Biên’s population aged 15-60 was not literate at level 2; by 2025, this rate is still over 10%. The percentage of the 15-18 age group attending high school or equivalent is low (70.7% in 2021; 77.9% in 2024). This is a “bottleneck” that makes resolutions, even if fully implemented, not highly effective.

Illiteracy eradication is identified by the province as a key task for sustainable development. This work is also linked to national target programs, especially the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas. Thanks to this, many creative models and methods have been implemented to suit the actual conditions of each locality. Illiteracy eradication and literacy-complementary classes are opened right in the villages, making it convenient for people to participate.

In the 2021-2025 period, the province organized 175 literacy classes for 4,023 learners, with 100% graduating or completing the program. The province now maintains the level 2 literacy standard. Knowing how to read and write helps people understand, discuss, and effectively implement guidelines and policies. They are more confident in participating in voter meetings, supervising, providing feedback, and proactively rising out of poverty.

Previously, every time she attended a voter meeting, Thào Thị Pày (born 1985, Hmong ethnic, Tỉnh B hamlet, Sáng Nhè commune) just sat quietly, not daring to speak. Because she couldn’t read or understand Vietnamese, she didn’t grasp many guidelines and resolutions. In 2018, mobilized by the government and teachers, she joined a literacy class. After the course, she became proficient in reading and writing and understood the content of public meetings. From then on, she boldly spoke up, contributed ideas to resolutions, and proposed support for production and economic development.

In 2020, with support for capital, seedlings, and techniques, Pày converted over 1ha of upland field to grow acacia and sa mộc (Cunninghamia), combined with animal husbandry and vegetable growing, earning over VND 150 million/year. Now, she not only listens but also proactively speaks and proposes ideas in public meetings, working with the party committee and government to find suitable methods for the village. From “hearing but not understanding,” she has become a prime example of the spirit of learning, daring to think and act, clear proof of the effectiveness of illiteracy eradication in helping resolutions truly get closer to the people and enter life.

Điện Biên aims that by 2030, 98.5% of people aged 15-35 and 91.5% of people aged 15-60 will achieve level 2 literacy. According to Giàng Thị Hoa, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Council, for resolutions to permeate the people’s hearts, the people must first understand. And to understand, the language barrier must be removed and intellectual standards raised. When people understand, trust, and follow, resolutions will enter life. For a province with 19 ethnic groups, eradicating illiteracy, teaching Vietnamese, and promoting the role of grassroots delegates are key factors. When delegates speak the people’s language and understand it, and the people understand the delegate’s language, only then will resolutions truly reach the people.

Along with eradicating illiteracy for the people, the province identifies training in ethnic minority languages, especially Thái and Hmong, for officials, leaders, and People’s Council delegates of Kinh ethnicity as an important task to improve communication efficiency with the ethnic communities. In recent years, thousands of officials and delegates have been sent to ethnic language training classes. More profoundly, the province has implemented a project to teach Thái and Hmong languages in schools. Since 2011, over 49,000 students have learned Thái and over 57,000 have learned Hmong.

Thanks to this linguistic harmony, the gap between resolutions and life is gradually narrowing. The Party’s guidelines, policies, and resolutions have shown clear effectiveness. When resolutions are “translated” into the people’s language, spread by people whom the people trust, guidelines and policies are no longer foreign. This is proof of a new mindset in elected work: placing the people at the center of all policies. When people can speak their own language, are listened to, and act together, resolutions will not only “enter the people’s hearts” but will also be nurtured and grow from their hearts.