Two-tier local government exposes staffing limits as officials struggle to keep up

Nearly a year after Vietnam began operating its two-tier local government model, offices in some communes and wards are still lit late into the night. The streamlined structure has removed an intermediate level of administration, but local officials say the workload has grown faster than their capacity.

At Tây Phương Commune in Hanoi, economic affairs specialist Nguyễn Thị Lan Hương was still working through thick land files with colleagues shortly before 7 p.m. The commune covers more than 31 square kilometers and has a population of over 103,000, leaving staff with a heavy flow of land, construction and investment applications. “You can only go home when the work is finished, or take it home to continue. On Saturdays and Sundays, almost everyone in the department works,” she said.

The pressure extends beyond Tây Phương. A Hanoi ward official said the new model had effectively placed many responsibilities formerly divided between the district and old ward administrations under one office, along with additional duties delegated by the city. Hanoi’s municipal Party Committee reported that commune and ward authorities were handling 929 state-management tasks by early June, an increase of 161. Previously, 12 district-level specialist departments handled separate fields. Those responsibilities are now being managed simultaneously by three commune-level departments.

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You can only go home when the work is finished, or take it home to continue. On Saturdays and Sundays, almost everyone in the department works.

At Trấn Yên Commune in Lào Cai Province, specialist Hoàng Mạnh Cường handles benefits and policies for more than 500 officials and public employees. He said reading and prioritizing documents alone can take an hour before deeper work begins. He often returns to the office after dinner and has worked until 11 p.m., or as late as 3 a.m. during peak periods.

The commune has 56 officials out of 62 approved positions and serves nearly 30,000 residents across more than 110 square kilometers. Deputy chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Minh Thúy said duties once handled by 10 education officials and seven labor and social-affairs officials now fall to one person in each area, with responsibilities spanning social assistance, health care and support for people with meritorious service.

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The education department formerly under the district had 10 staff handling specialist duties. After the merger, those duties belong to the commune’s social and cultural affairs department, which now has only one person.