Qualifications and Practical Capabilities of Local Vietnamese Civil Servants

Abstract

The constitution of Vietnam divides local government into three levels: province, district, and commune. The commune-level government is the lowest level of government; it is the agency responsible for directly implementing State policies and laws to the populace and defending their legal rights and interests. Hence, the work performance results of commune-level civil servants play an important role in validating the effectiveness of management activities and the prestige of government agencies. From a legal and practical standpoint, the work results of commune-level civil servants are reflected in the progress and quality of assigned tasks and affected by a variety of other factors, including subjective ones (their qualifications, capacities, and attitudes at work) and objective ones (working environment, facilities, technology, so on). This study refers to two subjective factors affecting their work performance results, namely professional qualifications and practical credentials. Its research objectives identified by the author are to evaluate and demonstrate the extent to which such factors affect the work performance results of commune-level civil servants. The author conducted a survey of 350 commune-level government agency leaders in five provinces representing the three regions of Vietnam, namely, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa (Northern), Nghe An (Central), and Tay Ninh, Ben Tre (Southern). According to the research findings, local authorities undervalue commune-level civil servants’ practical credentials. Thereby, the author offers some policy recommendations for them to improve their qualifications and practical credentials for civil services.