Speaking at the opening of the first Congress of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the 2025-2030 term on August 18, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasized that the congress takes place amid both promising development opportunities and significant challenges for the country.

Forging a new path of national development

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra noted that the Party, the State, and the entire political system are implementing historically significant and strategically transformative decisions to guide the nation into a prosperous development era. A key focus of this period includes the structural reorganization of the governmental apparatus, streamlining administrative units at all levels, and establishing a two-tier local governance system.

According to Tra, these new national opportunities demand greater effort and higher determination from the Party Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This includes strengthening leadership foresight and comprehensively improving the effectiveness of state management across all sectors.

“In facing these honorable yet demanding responsibilities, I urge delegates to contribute intellectual insight and heartfelt engagement. Let us identify and assess challenges with comprehensive thinking, break away from outdated mindsets and habitual patterns, and adopt a fresh, practical, and open approach to real-world issues. We must continuously innovate to fulfill our ministry’s duties, so we may stride confidently into a new era of strength, prosperity, and happiness,” Minister Tra affirmed.

The congress also aimed to contribute to the draft Political Report of the Party Committee of the Government for its upcoming congress and the documents of the Party Central Committee for the 14th National Congress.

The theme of the congress was: “Promoting the tradition of solidarity; building a clean and strong Party Committee; continuously innovating to enhance the effectiveness of the Ministry’s state governance; contributing to building a prosperous and powerful nation.” Its guiding principle was “Solidarity - Democracy - Breakthrough - Development.” Minister Tra expressed her belief that the congress would be a success and mark a new phase of development, contributing meaningfully to national goals.

Effective implementation of policies to attract and retain talent

In a political report summarizing the 2020-2025 term, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang highlighted notable achievements.

The restructuring of governmental organizations and civil service reform were major accomplishments that marked a breakthrough in administrative reform.

Key results included the reduction of five ministries and ministerial-level agencies (down 22.7%), three government-affiliated agencies (down 37.5%), 30 general departments, 1,025 departments and divisions, 4,413 sub-departments and equivalents, and 205 public service units.

Regarding local administrative units, the number of provinces and centrally governed cities was reduced from 63 to 34 (a decrease of 29 provinces or 46%), and the number of commune-level administrative units decreased by 6,714, from 10,035 to 3,321 (a 66.91% reduction). District-level administrative units were also dissolved.

In addition, significant reforms were implemented in personnel management. Nearly 90,000 public employees were cut by July 31 through streamlining efforts and workforce restructuring. New policies were introduced to encourage creativity, promote dynamic staff, and attract talent. Unnecessary certification requirements were eliminated, receiving positive public feedback. Over 4 million public officials and civil servants underwent training during the term.

In the area of wages and social insurance, Thang noted that the average regional minimum wage increased by 5.96% annually. The base salary was adjusted to 2.34 million VND (approximately $92), a 57% rise compared to 2021.

Looking ahead to the 2025-2030 term, Thang said the Party Committee will focus on institutional reforms in line with Party and State policies.

The Ministry will continue to build a modern national governance system, enhance the efficiency of all government levels, and strengthen a two-tier local government model that is accessible to and serves the people. It will reform civil service regimes and restructure staffing by job position, while implementing mechanisms to attract and utilize talent, and encourage officials to innovate and take initiative. Reforms will also extend to wage policies and the development of flexible, modern, and internationally integrated social insurance.

Among the key breakthrough tasks, the Ministry will innovate evaluation methods for public servants, linking them with staffing reforms to enhance quality. It will effectively implement policies to identify, attract, and retain talented individuals for the public sector.

Thu Hang