Listening and taking action

At Dau Giay Commune in Dong Nai Province, the guiding principle of local Party committees and authorities is to "listen and take action". This motto is put into concrete practice, not through empty promises, but through a model called “Thursdays dedicated to listening and taking action."

Staff members at the Dau Giay Commune Public Administration Service Center provide residents with attentive assistance as they complete administrative procedures. Photo: Ho Thao

Building on this model, the commune has rolled out three key initiatives: Morning Coffee - Listening and Engaging with the People; Regular citizen receptions as stipulated; and 3-No Thursdays: no appointments, no writing requests, and no paperwork. In addition, the commune also holds many dialogues and increases direct meetings with residents in the hamlets.

Friendly and receptive

Every Thursday morning, Pham Thi Xuan (65, a resident of Phan Boi Chau Hamlet, makes time to stop by the waiting area in the memorial temple courtyard at the commune’s administrative center to have a cup of coffee and chat with local leaders. “I always feel a sense of openness and warmth here,” Xuan shared. “Whenever residents have concerns or questions, the communal leaders address them right away. After each visit, I feel even more strongly the friendliness, closeness to the people, and the sincerity and willingness to listen to and resolve citizens’ issues shown by our communal leaders.”

Xuan added cheerfully: “Recently, I filed a petition about the rubber trees along both sides of the road in Group 9, whose branches were drooping heavily and obstructing visibility for passersby. The commune later sent an official request to Dong Nai Rubber Corporation, and workers were dispatched to trim the branches neatly. The local residents and I were very pleased.”

Nguyen Van Sinh, Party Cell Secretary and Head of Ngo Quyen Hamlet, shared: “If meetings were held in a formal conference room, people would feel reluctant to attend or speak up. But here, residents feel completely at ease sharing their concerns. I also actively participate in the conversations. Many issues in the hamlet are discussed directly with communal leaders. When residents raise concerns related to the hamlet, I can hear them firsthand together with communal leaders, which allows us to resolve matters for the people as quickly as possible.”

Pham Dinh Ban, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Dau Giay Commune Party Committee, states that the “Thursdays dedicated to listening and taking action” model, including a "Coffee and Exchange" program with residents, was established to enhance the Party's mass mobilization efforts. The initiative is designed to improve engagement, better understand public sentiments, and build a more accessible local government that serves the people's needs. Encouragingly, the model has garnered strong support and active participation from the community, which has been instrumental in improving the commune's governance and its ability to address residents' concerns quickly. It has also helped foster a more friendly and service-oriented image for the local government.

Since the model was launched on October 9, 2025, the commune has successfully held 8 Morning Coffee sessions, attracting 414 participants. During these dialogues, more than 490 citizen feedback items were heard. Many of these concerns were addressed on the spot by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, the People’s Committee, and leaders of various agencies, departments, and the commune’s Vietnamese Fatherland Front. In addition, the program received 25 forms containing 39 specific opinions related to social and economic issues, public security, the environment, and community activities in the hamlets. Based on these submissions, the Communal Party Committee issued 8 directives requesting the Communal People’s Committee to provide formal replies to citizens, ensuring a serious and transparent response process.

As a result, the Communal People’s Committee has responded to 28 citizen-raised issues, while 11 others are still being processed. Matters beyond the communal authority have been forwarded to higher-level agencies for review.

For the satisfaction of the people

Not only through the aforementioned model, the proactive spirit of listening and taking action in Dau Giay Commune is also clearly reflected in its strengthened efforts to organize dialogues and engage directly with local residents.

Nguyen Le Truong Son, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dau Giay Commune, stated: “Recognizing reform as a key task contributing to the socio-economic development of the commune, we have paid particular attention to this work in recent times. Recently, the commune organized a Dialogue Program with young people on administrative reform. Through these dialogues, we received numerous valuable opinions and solutions. Accordingly, the Commune People’s Committee will continue to review and improve processes while enhancing the professional and dedicated service attitude of officials, aiming to further improve this work.”

Nguyen Le Truong Son added: “By understanding the expectations of residents and aiming to improve and enhance the Index for Steering, Direction, and Evaluation of Public Service Quality for citizens and businesses in administrative procedures and real-time public service delivery on the electronic platform (Index 766), the Communal People’s Committee has developed a detailed implementation plan. The plan clearly identifies areas where performance has been ineffective, assigning responsibilities to each agency and unit according to specific work groups. Periodically, the commune reviews and evaluates progress on a weekly basis, proposing practical solutions to improve the indicator score. As a result, while in the initial phase of implementation, the two-tier local government placed 83rd out of 95 communes and wards in applying Index 766, the commune has now been rated excellent and among the top-performing localities out of the 95 communes and wards.”

Recently, at the Dau Giay Commune Public Administrative Service Center, while registering his newborn child, Nguyen Quoc Toan happily shared: “The staff guided me very enthusiastically through all the computer procedures. The process was handled quickly and efficiently. I am very satisfied.”

Dang Quang Tuan, Deputy Director of the Dau Giay Commune Public Administrative Service Center, added that in order to create closer engagement channels with residents and following the directives of the Commune People’s Committee, the Center has developed and operates digital communication channels such as the Dau Giay Commune Public Administrative Service Center Facebook page, TikTok @hanhchinhphucvudaugiay, and Zalo Official Account. In parallel, the Communal People’s Committee also focuses on carrying out community-oriented and humane activities, such as holding formal marriage certificate ceremonies for couples, sending congratulatory cards for newborns, and sending condolence cards in cases of death registration. These initiatives not only promote the image of a government that is close to and for the people but also help strengthen public trust and increase residents’ satisfaction with the commune’s administrative reform efforts.

 By Ho Thao – Translated by Thu Cuc, Thu Ha