Taking care of people's business from morning coffee
Early in the morning of a weekend near the end of July, when the dew was still on the leaves, more than a dozen tables were neatly arranged in a circle at the park of Quarter 5, Binh Duong Ward (HCMC), turning the park into a "special public coffee spot". The coffee tables of the elderly were bustling with stories about the neighborhood and the ward in the first days of operating the new model with the Chairman of the Ward People's Committee.
At the next table, the ward Party Secretary also attentively listened to people's opinions about the road, light bulbs, trash cans, etc. In another corner, members of the ward Party Standing Committee chatted with young people, party members, and retired cadres. All of this created a vivid picture of a morning of "coffee, dialogue, and companionship" in Binh Duong ward.
On a nearby park bench, some people even brought their children to sit and take care of them while listening to stories from the neighborhood. “This method has shortened the distance between the government and the people, which is commendable,” commented Mr. Nguyen Van Ni (77 years old, Ward 5). That is also the common sentiment of many people here when they found the coffee session a close communication channel with the ward leaders.
To have such a cozy morning, Ms. Than Thi Nguyet, Secretary of the Party Cell of Ward 5, usually wakes up at 5am, prepares sticky rice, boiled corn and makes special “kho” coffee. Being a person who is attached to and present at most of the morning coffee sessions, she witnesses most clearly the actual results after the coffee sessions.
In particular, DX43 route only has a few households so it is impossible to call for social investment to upgrade and repair. However, after a coffee session, the story about the route was reported to the ward leaders and not long after that, the route was started and repaired...
Sometimes it’s just a broken light bulb or a clogged drain, but the next day someone fixes it. That way, people don’t have to go to the ward to “report according to procedure” and wait many times.
Present early in the coffee session, Chairman of Binh Duong Ward People's Committee Vo Chi Thanh shared with SGGP Newspaper reporter that the ward has 20 neighborhoods, each neighborhood arranges its own schedule to organize coffee sessions so that leaders can fully attend.
“Since operating the two-level local government model, the ward has organized more than 10 coffee meetings. Ward leaders consider this an effective interactive channel to listen to people's opinions, from waste to larger issues. Any feedback is handled immediately, without letting it linger.”
Joining the coffee round table, Binh Duong Ward Party Secretary Nguyen Van Dong chatted with each group of people, occasionally an elderly person held his hand and pulled him to sit down like a long-lost relative. There was no distance between the officials and the people.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dong shared that since the operation of the 2-level local government model, the workload of the ward has increased significantly, but the ward still strives to implement the morning coffee model in all neighborhoods. The most satisfying thing is that many problems and concerns of the people are resolved on the spot. The "hot handling" helps to significantly reduce the number of petitions that go beyond the level, saving time for both parties, and substantially improving people's satisfaction.
Binh Duong Ward has an area of 58.1km², population of about 107,576 people. This is a key ward of Ho Chi Minh City with 7 industrial parks, industrial clusters (including Binh Duong Industrial - Service - Urban Complex with an area of over 4,196 hectares), 2 golf courses as an industrial and service urban area. With such characteristics, but according to the Secretary of the Ward Party Committee, recent meetings with voters do not have as many concerns and recommendations as before.
Currently, “morning coffee” is being organized in many localities across the country with diverse methods. Immediately after the two-level local government officially operated from July 1, Chanh Hiep Ward (HCMC) quickly organized a morning coffee program with the people. Here, the ward leaders not only listened to feedback but also proactively shared about the reform process, so that people could clearly see the positive movements of the new apparatus.
Meanwhile, the Thu Duc Ward Public Administration Service Center (HCMC) is designed with an open, spacious space, with space arranged for "morning coffee with the people".
According to Secretary of the Thu Duc Ward Party Committee Mai Huu Quyet, from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. every day, the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee of the ward will take turns to be present here to meet with people, listen to people's exchanges, share, and even make suggestions and feedback to the ward leaders. Phu Loi Ward ( Can Tho City) also launched the model of "Coffee with people and businesses", considering this a direct feedback channel to support and remove obstacles for people and businesses in the new development stage.
Innovation in thinking, serving the people
In places where there are no conditions for applying science and technology , organizations, civil servants and public employees have innovated in their thinking and actions, moving towards a service-oriented administration. In particular, Lac Duong commune (Lam Dong province) has the largest area in the province with 828km², more than 80% of the commune's population are K'Ho ethnic people.
Mr. Lo Mu Ha Moi (village 3, Lac Duong commune) when entering the Lac Duong Commune Public Administration Service Center was immediately visited by the youth union members and supported in carrying out administrative procedures. Knowing that he was confused when registering his child's birth on the application for the first time, the youths assisted him in entering data and registering.
“The young people lent me their phones to operate and guided me through the application process. This made me very satisfied,” said Mr. Lo Mu Ha Moi excitedly.
The Youth Support Team at Lac Duong Commune Public Administration Service Center is one of 126 volunteer youth teams deployed by Lam Dong Provincial Youth Union with more than 1,200 members participating.
Ms. Tran Diep My Dung, Deputy Secretary of Lam Dong Provincial Youth Union, added that in July and August 2025, youth union members were mobilized to support 124 administrative units across Lam Dong province. Youth union members prioritized supporting remote areas, ethnic minority areas or places with limited technological infrastructure.
During the initial period of operating the two-level local government, the Lam Dong Provincial Land Registration Office and its regional branches organized work on Saturdays and Sundays, even outside of office hours, to appraise and approve documents, and promptly return results to the people. The spirit of "doing all the work, not all the hours, taking people's satisfaction as a measure of work efficiency" has spread to many places across the country.
For many days, staff at the Phu Quoc Special Zone Public Administration Service Center (An Giang province) also worked hard through lunch, sometimes until 8 p.m. to promptly process people's documents.
Minister of Home Affairs PHAM THI THANH TRA:
Increase responsibility, improve public ethics
The implementation of a two-level local government, with current work requirements, requires the staff and civil servants, especially at the commune level, to be professional, have the capacity to synthesize and handle work according to innovative thinking, as well as improve responsibility and public ethics. That is to build a government that is close to the people, serves the people better, and meets the requirements of the people and businesses.
The Ministry of Home Affairs will advise the Government to issue a Decree related to the training and development of cadres and civil servants, especially at the commune level, to meet the requirements of the task. Along with that, it is necessary to pay attention to building a civil service culture, taking the effectiveness of serving the people as a measure to evaluate cadres and civil servants.
Delegate VUONG THI HUONG, National Assembly Delegation of Tuyen Quang province:
Keep the grassroots machine fueled
In difficult geographical conditions, a team of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers have been silently contributing and sticking together in remote communes, where living and working conditions are lacking. These are the people who keep the fire burning for the grassroots political apparatus.
Therefore, to encourage young cadres, the Government, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and competent authorities need to consider and adjust policies to ensure the rights of cadres, civil servants, and public employees working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions as well as those working in arduous, toxic, and dangerous jobs; especially arduous, toxic, and dangerous jobs in the process of streamlining the apparatus. That will contribute to strengthening trust, stabilizing the cadres, civil servants, and public employees and sustainably developing the grassroots political system.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chinh-quyen-dia-phuong-2-cap-tang-toc-ngay-khi-khoi-dong-bai-4-chuyen-dong-manh-me-tu-co-so-post806170.html
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