Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam currently has 29,626 reputable individuals from ethnic minority communities who maintain close ties with local people and are selected by villages, hamlets, and residential clusters.
A draft submission on a decree outlining criteria for selecting and recognising reputable individuals, along with policies supporting them, has recently been released by the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs. It confirms that these 29,626 individuals are nominated in accordance with regulations by local communities, including villages, hamlets and residential groups.
During the 2021 to 2025 period, local authorities allocated nearly 500 billion VND to implement policies for these figures. They organised 1,423 conferences to disseminate information to nearly 89,900 participants, held 984 training courses attended by around 58,496 individuals, and arranged 54 study tours within districts for 1,659 participants.
In addition, 298 provincial-level exchange and study visits were conducted for 12,811 participants, while 348 visits to Hanoi and other provinces involved 12,069 individuals. Authorities also provided four types of newspapers and organised 2,841 additional information sessions, such as distributing bulletins and materials, to more than 17,500 participants. These efforts aim to enhance awareness of legal knowledge, Party guidelines, State policies, and local socio-economic development.
However, the ministry noted that the planned dissolution of district-level administrative units from July 1, 2025, has affected the implementation of policies for reputable individuals in ethnic minority communities.
For instance, Article 6 of Decision No. 12/2018/QD TTg, amended by Decision No. 28/2023/QD TTg, stipulates that district-level People’s Committee chairpersons are responsible for recognising, removing, and replacing reputable individuals. To align with the Party’s policy and current legal framework under the two-tier local government model, this authority needs to be reassigned to the commune-level People’s Committee chairpersons.
On this basis, the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs advised the Government to issue Decree No. 124/2025/ND CP dated June 11, 2025, which decentralises authority in ethnic and religious affairs. Accordingly, responsibilities for recognising and managing reputable individuals have been transferred from the district to the commune level.
While this issue has been addressed in the short term, the ministry stressed the need for further research and evaluation to develop long term, practical policies.
Similarly, the restructuring of provincial and commune level administrative units in 2025 is expected to lead to the reorganisation of villages and residential groups. The Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Home Affairs with developing a roadmap to streamline these units, enhance self governance, and better serve local communities.
However, such mergers may affect the number of recognised reputable individuals. The Government is therefore expected to review and revise selection criteria to ensure they remain appropriate under new conditions.
Given political, legal and practical requirements, as well as international integration demands, the ministry emphasised that issuing a decree on criteria and policies for reputable individuals is urgent. The decree is expected to institutionalise Party guidelines and State laws, meet governance requirements following administrative restructuring, and address shortcomings observed during the 2021 to 2025 period, ensuring that criteria and policies are clear, consistent and feasible./.
