Tuyen Quang enhances the capacity of prestigious people to meet new development requirements

Following the merger of Tuyen Quang province and Ha Giang province effective July 1^st, 2025, the new Tuyen Quang province has a population of over 1.86 million, with ethnic minority groups accounting for more than 73.5%; the province currently has 3,436 prestigious people (community figures of high standing), comprising 1,975 people over the age of 60 (57.49%), 1,330 people aged 41 to 60 (38.71%), and only 131 people under the age of 40 (3.81%)... The vast operational area and the cultural and customary diversity of the community place increasingly high demands on the quality and capabilities of this specialized force.

While prestigious people previously focused primarily on mobilizing their communities to comply with guidelines and policies and to maintain solidarity and stability, new requirements now demand that they become partners in development, specifically: know how to access official information; understand policies regarding poverty reduction, new rural development, forest protection, livelihood development, digital transformation, cultural preservation and possessing communication skills tailored to specific population groups.

Practical experience in Tuyen Quang province demonstrates that the training and capacity-building for prestigious people are being implemented in an increasingly practical manner. In May 2026, the Tuyen Quang Provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs organized three training sessions for 329 prestigious people within ethnic minority communities, focusing on the socio-economic situation, ethnic minority policies and issues related to illegal exit and entry. Through this process, prestigious people not only update their knowledge but also voice the thoughts and aspirations of the community.

At the same time, the province is shifting from general training to skill-building tailored to specific tasks. This is a deeply significant approach, as knowledge only truly becomes competence when it can be translated into action. Prestigious people must understand the law but also know how to communicate it in a way that is easy for residents to grasp and follow. They must understand policies but also know how to explain them in relation to the specific interests of each household; they must understand development requirements but also know how to mobilize the community to participate.

It can be said that enhancing the capacity of prestigious people should be viewed as a process of enriching the social knowledge capital of ethnic minority communities. Credibility fosters trust; knowledge provides a foundation for that trust; skills enable trust to be translated into action. When these three elements combine, prestigious people can become a driving force for change right at the village level.

And it is important that training activities do not just stop at listening to reports, but need to enhance learning from practical models, so that prestigious people can directly observe effective ways of production, poverty reduction, forest protection, building new rural areas, community tourism and cultural preservation. From there, each person can select suitable experiences to apply in their own locality.

At the same time, special emphasis must be placed on digital literacy. In the era of social media, prestigious people do not merely convey information directly; they can also serve as filters for the community, helping residents identify fake news, accessing official policies, promoting local products and connecting with markets.

Tuyen Quang province has also been implementing models along these lines. In 2026, the team of prestigious people will receive training in legal dissemination skills; at the same time, the province is establishing pilot models enabling them to directly engage in disseminating the law and mobilizing local residents within the community.

In particular, improving the capacity of reputable people is narrowing the gap between policy and life. When a reputable person understands correctly, speaking correctly and setting an example, the policy will be easier to come to life; When they honestly reflect the people’s thoughts, the government has an additional direct information channel from the grassroots.

Therefore, it is essential to shift decisively from a mindset of merely fostering prestigious people to building a team of such individuals who possess the capacity for development. They must be people who are well-versed in community culture while also knowledgeable about law, the economy, the environment, and technology, individuals who can preserve their cultural identity while remaining capable of adapting to new challenges.

When credibility is bolstered by knowledge, and community experience is linked with science and technology, these prestigious people will serve not only as a bridge between the Party, the government and the people but also as catalysts for development within each village.

This is precisely how Tuyen Quang province transforms a unique social resource into endogenous strength, contributing to the consolidation of great national unity, improving the quality of life and laying the foundation for rapid, sustainable development in the new period./.