The Civil Servant Determined to Make People Believe in Public Service

When Tran Thi Xuan Huong heard that a child with a congenital disability had struggled for years to receive social assistance, she did more than explain the paperwork. She listened to the father, examined the child’s condition, contacted the provincial health department and helped him submit a new application to the local authority.

Huong works at Quang Ngai’s provincial public administration service center, handling applications for the Department of Home Affairs. The case of Trần Tuấn Khang, born in 2020 with a leg disability and later severe hyperactivity, did not fall within her area of responsibility. Still, she kept in contact with his father, Trần Ngọc Vỹ, and continued helping whenever problems arose.

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This is what an official should be. You are so good to the people.

Vỹ had tried several times since 2022 to apply for assistance. Local officials told him that the child had to turn six before an application could be made. In early 2026, a colleague suggested that he visit the provincial one-stop service center and find Huong. She reviewed Khang’s situation, photographed the disability and sought help from health officials before directing Vỹ to resubmit the documents to Tịnh Khê commune.

The application eventually succeeded. During the September 2 holiday, Huong visited the family at home and saw the decision granting Khang social assistance. Vỹ was surprised and delighted by the visit. He told her, “This is what an official should be. You are so good to the people.”

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Khang’s application was outside the area I handle. But I cared because I wanted him to receive the state’s humanitarian policy as soon as possible.

Huong said the matter was not simply about helping one person complete a form. “Khang’s application was outside the area I handle. But I cared because I wanted him to receive the state’s humanitarian policy as soon as possible,” she said.

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I do this so that people, businesses and foreign investors can always trust the policies and direction of our Party and state.

She also said she would examine the legal rules to determine whether children must really reach six before receiving support, particularly children with congenital disabilities. Huong described her own role more broadly: “I do this so that people, businesses and foreign investors can always trust the policies and direction of our Party and state.”

For Vỹ’s family, the assistance offers some relief from the demands of caring for their son. Huong said seeing the family happy made her happy too, adding, “If we are just a little more dedicated, the Party and state’s policies can be carried out immediately.”

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If we are just a little more dedicated, the Party and state’s policies can be carried out immediately.