Recently, the Government of Vietnam has issued Decree 138/2020/ND-CP regulating the recruitment, usage, and management of officials, effective from December 01, 2020. What are the new provisions regarding the recruitment examinations for officials?
Article table of contents
What's new in the recruitment examinations for officials in Vietnam according to Decree 138/2020/ND-CP? (Illustrative photo)
1. Eligibility criteria for officials will not be lower than general standards
According to Clause 1, Article 36 of the Law on officials, individuals who meet the following conditions, regardless of ethnicity, gender, social status, belief, or religion, are eligible to register for the official examination:
- Hold Vietnamese nationality;
- Be at least 18 years old;
- Submit an application; have clear personal records;
- Possess appropriate diplomas and certificates;
- Have good political and ethical qualities;
- Be healthy enough to perform the duties;
- Meet other conditions required for the position.
Specifically, Article 4 of Decree 138/2020/ND-CP stipulates that if the hiring agency specifies additional conditions according to the job position's requirements, these conditions must be consistent with the competency framework for the job position, not lower than general standards, not in conflict with the law, and must be reported in writing to the managing agency for officials for review and decision.
In contrast, Article 4 of Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020) as amended by Clause 1 Article 1 Decree 161/2018/ND-CP required that any additional conditions specified by the hiring agency for the job position must not conflict with the law, must not discriminate against the type of training, diplomas, certificates, public or non-public institutions, and must be approved by the managing agency for officials before recruitment.
Therefore, from December 1, 2020, eligibility criteria for officials must comply with the competency framework for the job position and not be lower than general standards.
2. For positions requiring foreign language or IT proficiency, applicants must still take the foreign language and IT tests
According to Article 8 of Decree 138/2020/ND-CP, the first round - general knowledge and skills test is conducted on a computer. If the hiring agency is unable to organize the test on computers, a paper-based test is allowed. The content of the test includes the following changes:
* For Part I – General Knowledge:
The content includes 60 questions on general understanding of the political system, the organizational structure of the Communist Party, the State, socio-political organizations; state administrative management; officials, public duties, and other knowledge to assess competence within a 60-minute test.
Compared to Article 4 of Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020), Part I no longer includes "the viewpoint, guidelines of the Communist Party, the policies and laws of the State regarding the recruitment sector; the responsibilities and duties of officials according to the job position requirements."
* For Part II – Foreign Language:
The content includes 30 questions according to the job position's requirements in one of the following languages: English, Russian, French, German, Chinese, or other foreign languages as determined by the head of the hiring agency within a 30-minute test.
Compared to Article 4 of Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020), the new regulation removes the provision allowing not to take the foreign language test in the first round for job positions requiring foreign language proficiency.
Therefore, from December 1, 2020, applicants for job positions requiring foreign language proficiency must still take the foreign language test in the first round.
* For Part III – IT:
The content includes 30 questions according to the job position's requirements within a 30-minute test. Similarly to Part II, the new regulation also removes the provision allowing not to take the IT test in the first round for job positions requiring IT proficiency as stipulated in Article 4 of Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020).
Therefore, from December 1, 2020, applicants for job positions requiring IT proficiency must still take the IT test in the first round.
3. Possessing a diploma in mathematics – informatics will not exempt candidates from the IT test
According to Article 8 of Decree 138/2020/ND-CP, candidates are exempt from the IT test if they hold a diploma from intermediate level or higher in informatics, information technology majors.
Meanwhile, Article 4 of Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020) stipulated that candidates are exempt from the IT test if they hold a diploma from intermediate level or higher in information technology, informatics, or mathematics – informatics majors.
Therefore, from December 1, 2020, candidates holding a diploma from intermediate level or higher in mathematics – informatics will not be exempt from the IT test in the first round.
Moreover, according to Article 8 of Decree 138/2020/ND-CP, candidates are exempt from the foreign language test if they belong to one of the following categories:
- Hold a diploma in a foreign language major at a training level equal to or higher than the professional training level required for the job position;
- Hold a diploma equal to or higher than the professional training level required for the job position issued by a foreign educational institution recognized in Vietnam;
- Have a certificate in a minority language or are a member of a minority group, in the case of applying for civil service positions in minority areas.
Compared to Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020), the new regulation has changed “holding a university or postgraduate diploma in foreign languages” to “holding a diploma at a training level equal to or higher.”
4. Combining interviews and written tests in the second round – Professional skills
According to Article 8 of Decree 138/2020/ND-CP, depending on the nature, characteristics, and requirements of the job position, the head of the hiring agency decides among three forms for the second round:
- Interview;
- Written test;
- Combining interview and written test.
Additionally, the exam content includes testing knowledge of the viewpoint, guidelines of the Communist Party, policies, laws about the recruitment sector; the professional skills of candidates in accordance with job position requirements.
Note: The interview lasts 30 minutes (candidates have up to 15 minutes to prepare before the interview); the written test lasts 180 minutes (excluding the time to copy the questions). If the combined form is chosen, the interview and written test times are the same as when taken separately.
Meanwhile, Article 4 of Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020) only provided for two forms of the second round: interview or written test, covering knowledge, skills, and the ability to perform public duties.
Therefore, from December 1, 2020, the second round of the official examination will include the option of combining interviews and written tests. Also, the content regarding the viewpoint, guidelines of the Communist Party, policies, and laws about the recruitment sector will be tested in the second round instead of the first round as previously.
5. Graduates trained as reserve officers are awarded 5 points in the second round
According to Article 5 of Decree 138/2020/ND-CP, the subjects and priority points in the official examination are as follows:
| Subject | Priority Points |
| Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, Heroes of Labor, war invalids, individuals entitled to policies as war invalids, type B war invalids | 7.5 points |
| Ethnic minorities, military officers, police officers, professional soldiers returning to public life, individuals working in crypto-related fields transferring to other sectors | 5 points |
| Graduates trained as reserve officers, trained as commanders of the military committee of commune-level military infrastructure who are conferred the rank of reserve officers and registered in the reserve officers’ list | |
| Children of martyrs, children of war invalids, children of sick soldiers, children of individuals entitled to policies as war invalids, children of type B war invalids | |
| Children of revolutionaries subjected to toxic chemical exposure, children of Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, children of Heroes of Labor | |
| Individuals who have completed military service, police service, or have served as youth volunteers | 2.5 points |
Note: Priority points are added to the results of the second round, and if a candidate belongs to multiple priority subjects, only the highest priority points are added.
Thus, compared to Decree 24/2010/ND-CP (expired from December 1, 2020), the new regulation has removed the priority points for children of revolutionaries before the August General Uprising (from August 19, 1945, and earlier), young intellectual volunteers participating in rural and mountainous development for at least 24 months and have completed their tasks.
Additionally, it has added 5 priority points for discharged reserve officers, graduates trained as reserve officers, or trained as commanders of the commune military committee conferred the rank of reserve officers and registered in the reserve officers’ list.
See more: Decree 138/2020/ND-CP: Guidelines for recruiting officials through examination
Le Vy
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