In an early July morning, 69-year-old Huynh Thi Bay arrived at the An Nhon Ward Public Administration Service Center to process her housing and land documents. Seeing her struggling with unsteady steps, two youth volunteers who were assisting citizens immediately rushed to her side, helping her up the stairs and then patiently guiding her through the submission process.
“The moment I arrived at the gate, several students helped me up, asked detailed questions, and walked me through every step of the paperwork. They were so incredibly thoughtful!” she shared.
Ms. Bay is one of thousands of older residents who have received a helping hand from volunteers at these new commune-level centers. The support extends beyond in-person paperwork. A team of 82 students from the HCMC Campus of the National Academy of Public Administration and Management is also assisting with digital transformation tasks and promoting online public services.
According to Head Nguyen Kim Trung of the Fatherland Front Committee in Dien Hong Ward, this collaboration is a win-win. “Welcoming student volunteers not only helps us manage the workload”, he said, “but also creates an invaluable training environment for the students.”
Young members of the city’s police force has also joined the effort enthusiastically. Three “Community Partnership” rapid response teams from the HCMC Police Youth Union have coordinated with the Police Division for Administrative Management of Social Order to directly assist citizens at centers in Saigon, Ban Co, and Hoa Hung wards, guiding them through online public services, including the registration and installation of essential apps.
Deputy Head Vo Thi Bich Phuong of the HCMC Police Youth Union explained that her teams are focused on helping people register, update information, and install critical applications like VNeID. “Especially during the 90-day sprint to clean up marital status data and streamline confirmation procedures, our youth officers are guiding people on how to integrate this information into the app for easy access”, she noted.
Over the past fortnight, thousands of volunteers – Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union members and students from across HCMC – have fanned out across the city’s wards and communes. They’re assisting with simple procedures like temporary residence registration and providing comprehensive guidance on using the VNeID application. The support isn’t confined to official centers; volunteers have formed “at-home support” teams to assist the homebound elderly and people with disabilities.
These young people have also created and distributed a wealth of intuitive materials like infographics, videos, and guidebooks. Furthermore, “Digital Skills Classes” are being organized to teach residents how to use computers and smartphones safely and effectively.
Deputy Head Vo Thi Bich Phuong added that beyond administrative support, the rapid response teams are also raising public awareness about online fraud, particularly scams involving the impersonation of government officials. The volunteers are also helping residents install security and emergency alert applications like Help 114, the HCMC Public Security Department’s SOS Order and Security system, and other software to identify scamming phone numbers or illegal advertisements.
Deputy Secretary Le Tuan Anh of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of HCMC informed that a city-wide volunteer campaign is running from July 7 to August 30 to support all 168 commune-level service centers. Volunteer squads from the Green Summer, Pink Vacation, and Green March campaigns are working from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. “Mobilizing our youth not only addresses the immediate needs of local authorities and citizens”, he stated, “but also contributes to building the digital government and digital society of the future.”
This sentiment was echoed by Secretary Le Ba Hung of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of HCMC Cadre Academy. He shared that since the official launch of the two-tier local government model in HCMC, his academy has dispatched over 260 students in “Apprentices Serving the People” teams to assist 15 wards and 4 regional courts from June 28 to August 15.
“They are helping resolve cases, guiding people on VNeID uses, and working alongside civil servants on a case-by-case basis”, he said, adding that they plan to deploy more students to support remote localities in the upcoming time.
