On November 30, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports organized an online meeting titled “Enhancing the Quality of Building Wards and Towns to Urban Civilization Standards and Leveraging the Role of Agreements and Traditions in Cultivating Grassroots Cultural Life.” The meeting was conducted virtually with the participation of districts, suburban areas, and towns, as well as communes, wards, and towns throughout the city.
Presiding over the meeting at the head office of the Department of Culture and Sports were: Mr. Pham Cao Thai, Head of the Department of Legal Affairs (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism); Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports; and Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Chief of the Office of the Hanoi Department of Construction.
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Overview of the Online Meeting
Agreements and traditions are documents that stipulate the rules of conduct voluntarily agreed upon and established by local communities and neighborhood residents to regulate the self-governing social relations within the community, recognized by competent state authorities. These agreements and traditions have existed for a long time, experiencing fluctuations in the social life of our country from ancient times to the present.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh, stated that currently, out of 5,404 villages and residential groups in the entire city, 4,726 have agreements and traditions, with 1,232 having been amended or supplemented. The construction and implementation of agreements and traditions in villages and communities over time have yielded practical results for community social management, contributing to incorporating laws, Party and State guidelines, and policies into daily life. This has improved the effectiveness of state management, preserved and promoted good traditional customs at the grassroots level, eliminated outdated practices, formed values suitable for local traditions, and enhanced democracy at the grassroots level. The initiative aims to build a new rural life, nurture the elegant and civilized Hanoians, and practice civilized ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, aligning with the movement “The entire people unite to build a cultural life.”
Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh, spoke at the Meeting.
In addition to the effectiveness derived from leveraging the roles of agreements and traditions in cultivating grassroots cultural life, the implementation of building criteria for a civilized urban environment has brought tangible benefits in fostering the spirit of creativity and unity among the citizens of the entire city. This has contributed to economic development, sustainable poverty reduction, collective efforts in cultural life development, caring for the educational and healthcare sectors, environmental hygiene, enhancing legal compliance awareness, maintaining political security, and social order. It plays a role in upholding democracy and contributing to building a clean and robust foundation for the Party, government, particularly the grassroots political system…
“Evaluating the overall issues related to the construction and implementation of agreements, traditions, and the development of a civilized urban environment in the city requires a clear understanding of the results as well as limitations. This aims to supplement, improve, and propose systematic, comprehensive, and feasible solutions for effective implementation. The proposed solutions must be culturally specific, considering the customs and traditions of each village, residential group, ward, and town,” emphasized Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh.
Mr. Pham Cao Thai, Head of the Department of Legal Affairs (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism), guided the deployment of relevant documents to localities.
At the meeting point in Dong Anh district, Ms. Nguyen Thi My Linh, Deputy Head of the Culture and Information Office of Dong Anh district, stated that the construction and implementation of agreements have successfully embodied the spirit of solidarity, mutual support, autonomy, preservation of the cultural essence of the nation, and the promotion of grassroots democracy. It has effectively addressed social issues and ensured order and security in the locality. Over the implementation period, all 195 hamlets and residential groups in Dong Anh district have actively amended, supplemented, and approved agreements and traditions tailored to the local realities.
Meeting point at Dong Anh District
Nevertheless, according to the Deputy Head of the Culture and Information Office of Dong Anh District, during the process of constructing and implementing agreements and traditions, certain limitations have emerged. Some localities are in the process of bureaucratizing the construction of agreements, lacking active participation from the residents. The content of these agreements often adopts a rigid, template-like structure, failing to capture the unique characteristics of villages and not aligning closely with the daily lives of residents, thereby limiting the feasibility of the agreements. Additionally, the prolonged and repetitive nature of the content includes mostly legal provisions. Furthermore, at present, these agreements and traditions lack penalties since, according to regulations, sanctions are not allowed to be incorporated into agreements and village traditions. Consequently, the full potential and role of these agreements and traditions have not been realized. To fully unleash their potential, it is imperative to maximize the community’s role as the subject, enhance the effectiveness of state management in constructing and implementing these agreements, allocate resources, create conditions to ensure their construction and implementation, provide training and professional development for officials involved in management, construction, and guidance of these agreements at the grassroots level. Strengthening the organization of inspection activities, supervision, violation handling, and leveraging the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations in coordinating with the party committee, and authorities to enhance monitoring activities in accordance with legal regulations.
Meeting point at Thach That District
In Thach That District, the integration of content related to the construction and implementation of agreements and traditions into the directives and guidance for the annual “Whole People Unite to Build Cultural Life” movement is a strategic initiative. They organize training and professional development for the district, commune, town officials, village heads, and leaders of the front office in various hamlets and residential groups. They guide the recording of progressive customs and practices to supplement agreements and traditions and mobilize the elimination and non-application of illegal, outdated, and gender-discriminatory content in village agreements and traditions. They also conduct evaluations of the agreement management work, with a particular focus on the results of reviewing, proposing amendments, supplementing, replacing, abolishing, or issuing new agreements and traditions. They direct and guide the organization of interim and final reviews, and statistics on the construction and implementation of agreements and traditions throughout the district, reporting to the competent authorities as required. Currently, all 122 hamlets and residential groups in Thach That District have agreements (achieving 100%). The district has seamlessly linked the implementation of agreements and traditions with the assessment of cultural families, cultural villages, and other commendation titles.
Meeting point at Tay Ho District
According to Mr. Tran Van Bach, Deputy Head of the Culture and Information Office of Tay Ho District, there are currently 108 sets of residential group agreements that have been implemented across the district. In 2022, Tay Ho District organized a seminar titled “Enhancing the Quality of Residential Group Agreements.” In 2023, the district inspected the implementation of agreements in 100% of residential groups. The inspection revealed significant positive outcomes, such as empowering the community’s self-governance role, preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, customs, and good practices, eliminating outdated customs, and fostering a civilized lifestyle within the community.
During the meeting, the discussions focused on practical experiences in leadership and guidance from the Party Committee, government authorities, steering committees, and various sectors at different levels regarding the implementation of agreements and traditions at the grassroots level and the construction of a civilized urban environment. Participants shared results, limitations, and reasons; advantages, challenges, and preliminary experiences; strategies to enhance the quality and effectiveness of constructing and implementing agreements and traditions, building a civilized urban environment in the near future; empowering the self-governance role within the community; promoting the “Whole People Unite to Build Cultural Life” movement; implementing a civilized lifestyle in weddings, funerals, festivals, and constructing refined citizens in Hanoi; adhering to behavioral norms, implementing democratic regulations at the grassroots level. Of particular note was the exchange and dissemination of successful leadership and guidance models at various levels for the construction and implementation of agreements, traditions, and the development of civilized urban areas at the grassroots level.
The Meeting received numerous contributions from departments, sectors, and localities regarding the implementation of agreements and traditions at the grassroots level and the construction of a civilized urban environment.
In conclusion, at the Meeting, Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, recommended that localities have a profound awareness of implementing Government Decree No. 61/2023/ND-CP dated August 16, 2023, on constructing and implementing community agreements and decisions. Implementing Decision No. 04/2022/QD-TTg dated February 18, 2022, by the Prime Minister, which stipulates criteria, procedures, and recognition processes for achieving civilized urban standards. Regularly reviewing and evaluating the content of agreements and traditions for practical adjustments aligned with reality. Additionally, intensifying awareness campaigns through conferences, seminars, strengthening inspections, monitoring, and promoting models for implementing agreements and traditions at hamlet and residential group levels.
During the Meeting, Mr. Pham Cao Thai, Head of the Department of Legal Affairs (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), guided localities on implementing Government Decree No. 61/2023/ND-CP dated August 16, 2023, and Decision No. 04/2022/QD-TTg dated February 18, 2022, by the Prime Minister, regarding criteria, procedures, and recognition processes for achieving civilized urban standards.
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