Ward officials in Ho Chi Minh City are handling more duties after the shift to a two-tier local government model. They are expected to have stronger expertise, coordinate across agencies and use digital tools.
On November 3, the Ho Chi Minh City Cadre Academy held a scientific workshop on building the city's ward-level civil service. Bui Ngoc Hien, head of its scientific management, information and documentation division, identified three trends affecting public service: digital transformation and artificial intelligence, changes in state governance, and the reorganization of the apparatus, provincial mergers and abolition of districts.
After Ho Chi Minh City was merged with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, it became the country's largest socio-economic area, covering urban and rural spaces as well as islands. The city now has 113 wards, and 29 more communes are expected to become wards.
Bui Ngoc Hien listed coordination and resource allocation across a large area, differences in development and professional capacity, limited resources and the need to identify real-world problems accurately among the issues requiring attention. The Law on Urban Development and pilot mechanisms that expand Ho Chi Minh City's institutional space add further pressure.
Ward officials need broad skills and digital literacy
Nguyen Van Nhut, a former ward chairman and former head of administrative management at the Ho Chi Minh City Cadre Academy, said ward officials previously handled mostly routine tasks and short-term cases. For example, they inspected sidewalks and road edges, issued violation records and confiscated vehicles, tables, chairs and advertising boards. Violations continued, however. When he returned to the same road 10 years later, the situation had barely changed.
Pham Thi Hoan, deputy chairwoman of An Khanh Ward People's Committee, said many duties had moved to the ward level. A difficult case could previously be sent to the district, but it now has to be handled locally. Officials therefore need inter-agency coordination skills and knowledge of several fields.
Digital skills vary between wards and among officials, especially those aged 40 to 50. An Khanh Ward has held more than 10 training sessions since July 2025, but practical improvement has been limited. The main reason, Hoan said, was the emphasis on theory over practice. After the ward signed a training contract with an artificial intelligence company, participants began training other officials and community digital groups.
Staffing should be calculated for each ward
Nguyen Van Nhut said ward authorities should move to modern local governance, analyze problems themselves and propose long-term solutions. Officials should use data systems and modern technology, while performance should be assessed by outcomes and resident satisfaction.
He called for a new definition of the ward official's role, revised training programs tied to local needs and quality assessments after training. Evaluation criteria should include new requirements, especially those in the Law on Urban Development.
Pham Phuong Thao, a former chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, said ward officials need resilience and deep professional expertise. She recommended counting tasks accurately to determine positions and staffing. Some wards do not need the maximum staff of 70, while others have to hire contract workers. Staffing should be based on both the number and complexity of tasks, she added.
Sources: Thanh Niên
