Maintaining discipline to build trust
In late October 2025, when floods besieged many areas of Hue City, the leadership and directive role of Party committees at all levels became strikingly evident. In Hoa Chau Ward, the lowest-lying, most deeply and persistently flooded area, the Ward Party Committee activated storm and flood prevention plans, establishing a command post right at the ward headquarters.
The Party Secretary and Standing Deputy Secretary remained on duty for days, mobilizing the entire force of militia, police, military, Fatherland Front, and unions to timely assist residents and minimize damage. The decisive, disciplined, and responsible management of the Ward Party Committee helped maintain calm and public confidence during the most critical moments.
The spirit of daring to face difficulties and accepting responsibility for the common good, emphasized at the National Cadre Conference in 2024, is the highest requirement for a leader. This is also the core of the new point in the draft documents for the 14th Party Congress: building a strategic and grassroots cadre corps must begin with the qualities of the leader.
Regarding this, National Assembly Delegate Tran Kim Yen, former Chairwoman of the Inspection Commission of the HCMC Party Committee, observed that the new policy places the leader in a key position. It demands not only executive capacity but also political mettle, ethical standards, and an exemplary leadership style.
“The exemplary nature of the leader creates a ripple effect, enhancing discipline, promoting administrative reform, and increasing public service efficiency,” Ms. Yen noted. “Therefore, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms must be tighter, more synchronized, and transparent.”
The leader’s position is not merely a legal title but the nexus between strategic vision and grassroots execution. When authority is transparent and tied to individual accountability, the apparatus operates in a “right person, right job, right time” manner, minimizing evasion or over-reliance on the collective.
“Soft discipline” models, such as public criticism and lowered ratings, serve as effective early warnings rather than leniency, fostering self-discipline within the administration. HCMC leadership has already utilized this strategy to address issues like slow investment disbursement.
Ms. Yen advocates for a multi-layered control system integrating Party inspection, administrative appraisal, and social supervision to eliminate “dark zones” in personnel appointments. She argues that public trust relies on transparency where performance is fairly judged, which means high performers are recognized, while underperformers face consequences.
Consequently, enforcing leader responsibility acts as a true barometer of the State’s commitment to discipline. Leaders must serve as exemplary models, guiding teams and accepting liability to solidify public faith in the nation's sustainable development path.
Disciplinary action in the 13th Party Congress term
- During the 13th tenure, Party committees and cells disciplined 1,624 Party organizations and 73,135 members, including 13,302 committee members.
- The Central Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat disciplined 65 Party organizations and 228 members.
- Inspection Commissions at all levels disciplined 679 Party organizations and 24,265 members.
“Control loop” in practice
According to Dr Ho Ngoc Dang of the HCMC Cadre Academy, as leadership methods shift from administrative management to development governance, requirements for leaders escalate. They must not only execute but also orient, create vision, and bear direct responsibility for results.
The quality of the leader thus becomes the decisive factor in effectively implementing Party guidelines in real life. Society looks to the leader to gauge the apparatus’s transparency, integrity, and efficiency.
The 14th Party Congress designates power control as a strategic breakthrough to prevent abuse. Binding authority within institutional frameworks ensures cadre selection relies on merit, reinforcing public trust. Effective control requires synchronized decentralization, clear supervision, and transparent evaluation processes. By strictly enforcing leader accountability and handling violations timely, especially in personnel work, the Party ensures power is exercised responsibly within a disciplined framework.
A clear testament to this is the shift in local inspection and supervision activities from formalistic to substantive—inspecting upon signs of violation for early detection and prevention.
Da Nang City and Quang Binh Province have disciplined hundreds of members recently, demonstrating a resolve to eliminate supervision gaps and block unqualified cadres. Publicizing these actions sends a strong message of discipline.
Meanwhile, HCMC sets a precedent by publishing confidence vote results, transforming internal procedures into transparent public monitoring. This creates accountability; low confidence scores force agencies to justify decisions and rigorously review dossiers before appointments, ensuring the internal control loop remains effective and open to scrutiny.
Beyond local implementation, legal bases and professional regulations from the Central level are fortifying the “control loop.” In 2025, the Government and Central agencies issued and perfected documents on disciplining cadres and guiding inspection standards.
Notable examples include Government Decree No.172/2025 on disciplining cadres and civil servants; Regulation No.296-QD/TW of the Party Central Committee on inspection, supervision, and discipline; and Guidance No.08-HD/TW implementing Regulation 296. Uniform regulations provide legal tools for Inspection Commissions to work with clear grounds, avoiding discrepancies across localities.
In the context of the country’s rising development requirements, a leader’s duty is heavy not just with work, but with the responsibility of maintaining trust. Trust is not a given asset; it is the result of accumulation, cultivated through every timely decision, practical directive, and action for the people.
“When the leader is exemplary, the entire apparatus has a fulcrum. When the apparatus has a fulcrum, work flows smoothly, and people’s trust is consolidated through very concrete things in daily life,” emphasized Dr Ho Ngoc Dang.
