General information:

Introduction about Lang Son Department of Foreign Affair

Functions, Responsibities and Authorities

Article 1. Positions and functions

1.Department of Foreign Affairs is a specialized agency under the Provincial People's Committee (PPC), with the function of advising, assisting the PPC in the state management of foreign affairs and national border and territorial affairs (generally known as foreign affairs) of the province; public services under the scope of state management of the Department in accordance with the law.

2. The Department of Foreign Affairs performs the function of advising the Provincial Party Committee through the Party Committee of the PPC on the policy of international integration, orientations to expand relations and comprehensively implement the foreign affairs of the province; organize and manage the Party's external affairs in the province according to the Party's regulations.

3. The Department of Foreign Affairs has legal status, its own seal and account; under the direction and management on organization, staff position and operation of the PPC; at the same time under the professional direction, guidance and inspection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Article 2. Responsiblities and Authorities

1. To submit to the Provincial People's Committee:

a) Draft decisions, directives and documents under the promulgating competence of the PPC on the province's external affairs;

b) Draft long-term, 5-year and annual plans, programs, schemes and projects on foreign affairs; programs and measures to implement state administrative reform tasks on foreign affairs under the management of the Department;

c) Draft document stipulating conditions, standards and titles for Head and Deputy Head of the units under the Department.

2. To submit to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee:

a) Draft decisions and directives under the promulgating competence of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee on the province's external affairs;

b) Draft decisions on establishment, merger, division and dissolution of organizations and units of the Department in accordance with the law.

3. To organize the implementation of legal documents, planning, programs, schemes and projects on local external affairs after they are approved; to inform, propagate, disseminate, guide, inspect and supervise the implementation of the fields under the management of the Department.

4. To advise the Provincial Party Committee on external affairs on:

a) Orienting to expand external relations, policy and roadmap for international integration of the province; formulating commanding documents, thematic resolutions, programs, plans and schemes on external activities of the Provincial Party Committee; to regularly or irregularly synthesize and propose measures related to the external affairs of the Provincial Party Committee;

b) Managing and implementing guides, policies and regulations related to the external affairs of the Party and the State;

c) Moritoring and urging the implementation of the Provincial Party Committee's external affairs policies, the implementation of the Party's external activities according to the orientations, guidelines and programs approved by the Provincial Party Committee;

d) Working as a focal point to assist Provincial Party Committee to manage the province's external activities; to coordinate in the external activities of the Provincial Party Committee, the government, the Fatherland Front, unions and people's organizations in the province.

5. Regarding international cooperation:

a) To advise on the province's international cooperation and integration work in line with the Party's foreign policy guidelines and the State's laws;

b) To formulate and implement the province's international integration and cooperation plan, the province's project to establish friendly cooperative relations with foreign partners, and report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as prescribed.

c) To work as the focal point between the Provincial People's Committee and the diplomatic missions, foreign consular offices, foreign NGOs  and representatives of international organizations in Vietnam.

6. Regarding foreign economic

a) To assist the PPC in economic diplomacy, building and implementing programs of external activities to serve the province's socio-economic development;

b) To work as the focal point between the PPC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Vietnamese representative agencies in promoting and introducing the province's potentials and strengths; to support the implementation of tasks on trade promotion, investment, tourism, to protect the legitimate rights and interests of economic organizations of the province abroad.

7. Regarding foreign culture

a) To assist PPC in cultural diplomacy, develop and implement action plans to implement the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy in each period;

b) To work as the focal point between PPC with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Vietnamese representative  in organizing foreign cultural events in the province and introducing and promoting the images, people and culture of the province abroad.

8. Regarding the oveseas Vietnamese

a) To organize programs, plans and policies of overseas Vietnamese in the province;

b) To inform, propagate the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State to overseas Vietnamese; encourage, guide and support overseas Vietnamese and their relatives in career, business development, life and study in the province.

c) To periodically summarize, evaluate and propose to solve problems related to overseas Vietnamese and their relatives in the province, and report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as prescribed.

9. Regarding consular activities and consular protection

 a) To manage entry and exit activities of cadres and civil servants subject to use of diplomatic or official passports; receive dossiers, examine, manage and request for issuance, extension, modification and supplementation of diplomatic passports and official passports in the province according to regulations;

b) To handle issues arising in the work of consular protection for overseas Vietnamese related to the province, protecting the interests of the people related to foreign elements and to consular work with foreigners in the province.

c) To work as the focal point to receive and return results of the application for consular certification and legalization in the province when authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; receive and return the results of the application for consideration and permission to use the APEC business travel card (ABTC card, if assigned by the PPC).

10. Regarding national borders and territories

a) To be the standing agencies of the PPC in charge of national border and territorial affairs; assist the PPC in performing the state management of border and territorial affairs in the province in accordance with the provisions of law and the direction and guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and sectors;

 b) To monitor, summarize and report to the PPC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the implementation of international treaties on national borders and territories and issues arising on the land border in the province;

c) To organize training courses, propagating and disseminating laws, guidelines and policies of the Party and State on national borders and territories; guide, inspect and manage documents, maps and records on the border under the management of the province; inspect, urge and guide agencies and units of the province on issues of state management of borders and territorie

11. Regarding the work of external protocol

a) To perform state management of external protocol in the province;

b) To propose, develop and promulgate legal documents on external protocol in the province; organize the inspection and guide the implementation of regulations on external protocol at provincial agencies and units;

c) To preside over the protocol and preparation for delegations of provincial leaders to visit and work abroad; organize the implementation of external protocol, welcome foreign delegations to visit and work with provincial leaders or transit in the  province.

12. Regarding the information of external affairs:

a) To work as the focal point with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Vietnamese representative missions in the implementation of the province's programs and plans on external information and propaganda approved by the PPC;

b) To provide local information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and functional agencies to serve the external propaganda; coordinate with overseas Vietnamese representative missions in carrying out external information and local promotion activities abroad;

c) To unify the management of foreign reporters in the provincial press activities; develop programs, organize receptions and interviews of provincial leaders, provide oriented information, monitor and manage the activities of foreign reporters in accordance with law.

13. Regarding the organization and management of incoming and outgoing delegations:

a) To perform state management of delegations going abroad on business trips of provincial leaders and units of the province (outgoing delegations) and international delegations visiting and working in the province (incoming delegations);

b) To organize the delegations of provincial leaders to work abroad; work as the contact point for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Commission for External Relations and the overseas Vietnamese representative missions to support, guide and manage the outgoing delegations following regulations; appraise the projects of the outgoing delegations, monitor and summarize the statistics of outgoing delegations under the management of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee;

c) To develop and organize plans and schemes to receive foreign delegations to visit and work with provincial leaders; appraise proposals and recommendations of provincial departments, commissions and sectors on provincial leaders receiving foreign guests; summarize the statistics of delegations under the management of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee.

14. Regarding the organization and management of international conferences and seminars:

a) To organize and manage international conferences and seminars in the province under the authority of the Chairman of the PPC;

b) To work as the focal point for receiving dossiers and appraising contents of international conferences and seminars; guiding the inspection of provincial agencies and units in implementing regulations on organization and management of international conferences and seminars.

15. Regarding the signing and implementation of international agreements:

a) To perform state management in signing and implementation of international agreements in the province;

b) To supervise and urge the implementation of signed agreements; report and seek guidance from competent authorities on issues arising in the signing and implementation of international agreements in the province;
 

16. Regarding foreign non-governmental work

a) To work as the focal point to assist PPC in performing the state management of activities of foreign non-governmental organizations(NGOs) in the province; contribute opinions on the grant, extension, amendment and revocation of the Registration Certificate and other activities of foreign NGOs in the province; guide and assist foreign NGOs in procedures and in surveying, formulating and implementing funded projects in accordance with the law; inspect and supervise the activities of organizations and their employees working for foreign NGOs in the province; report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Affairs in accordance with regulations;

b) To manage the province's foreign non-governmental aid relations and mobilization activities; formulate programs, plans and support agencies, units, districts and city in mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid;

c) To appraise aid programs, projects and payments signed with foreign NGOs to meet external political requirements; to urge the management and financial reporting of foreign non-governmental aid;

d) To be a standing agency of the Provincial Foreign Non-Governmental Working Committee

17.Regarding diplomatic inspection:

a) To carry out administrative inspection and specialized inspection in the province according to regulations;

 b) To inspect the implementation of policies, laws and assigned tasks by agencies, organizations and individuals under the management of the Department;

c) To guide, inspect and settle complains and denuciations, preventing, fighting against corruption, to guide and inspect the units under the Department to implement the general provisions of the law on inspection, settlement of complaints and denunciations, prevention and fight against corruption, economy practice and anti-waste as prescribed; propose to suspend the implementation or cancel the illegal regulations discovered through the inspection.

18. Regarding the training of foreign affairs professional knowledge:

a) To propose and organize professional foreign affairs knowledge  and training programs for officials and civil servants of the province;

b) To work as the focal point for coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies in implementing training programs on foreign affairs and international integration for provincial officials and employees.

19. To implement the periodical and irregular reporting on the performance of external tasks as prescribed.

20. To implement administrative reform according to the objectives and contents of the PPC, implement the application of science and technology; build an information system and archival database in service of state management and foreign affairs operations; coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in building a database system on nationwide province's foreign activities.

21. To prescribe the functions, tasks, authorities and working relationships of the units under the Department; organization management, personnel, implementation of salary,  welfare, training, appointment, dismissal, reward and punishment for cadres, civil servants and public employees under the management of the Department as prescribed by law and decentralized by the PPC.

22. To manage the assigned finance and assets and organize the implementation of the allocated budget according to the provisions of law and the decentralization of the PPC.

23. To perform other tasks assigned by the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee.

Article 3. Organizational structure, personnel and operating budget

1.Leaders of the Deparment

a) Department of Foreign Affairs has one Director and no more than 3 Deputy Directors

b) The Director of the Department is the head of the Department and is accountable to the PPC, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and to the law for all the activities of the Department; responsible for reporting work to the PPC, the Chairman of the PPC and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs; report to the People's Council of the province, answer the voters' petitions, the questions of the Provincial People's Council Member upon request;

c) Deputy Director of the Department is the person who helps the Director of the Department, is accountable to the Director of the Department and the law for the assigned tasks. In the absence of the Director of the Department, a Deputy Director of the Department is authorized by the Director of the Department to administer the activities of the Department;

d) The appointment of the Director and Deputy Director of the Department shall be decided by the Chairman of the PPC according to professional standards promulgated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in accordance with the law; The dismissal, resignation, commendation, punishment and other policies for the Director, Deputy Director of the Department shall comply with the provisions of law.

e) The appointment and dismissal of Heads, Deputy Heads, Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspector, Chief of Office, Deputy Chief of Offices under the Department shall comply with the provisions of law and the decentralization of staff management of the Provincial People Committee.

f) Lower-level units of the Department: Lang Son Foreign Affair Service and Information Center.
Based on local characteristics and practical requirements, the Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs shall coordinate with the Director of, the Department of Home Affairs in submitting to the PPC a decision on the establishment of a lower-level organization under the Department according to the planning approved by the competnent authorities and prescribed by law

2. Personnel and operating budget

a) The personnel of civil servants and the number of employees (personnel of lower-level units) of the Department are assigned on the basis of job positions associated with functions, tasks, scope of activities and are included in the total personnel of civil servants, personnel of lower-level units in agencies, administrative organizations and public lower-level units of the province assigned or approved by competent authorities.

Based on the functions, tasks, organizational structure and list of employment positions, the structure of civil servant ranks, and the structure of professional titles of public employees approved by competent authorities, the Department of Foreign Affairs shall annually develop plans on civil servant personnel and personnel of lower-level units in accordance with law to ensure the performance of tasks.

b) The Department of Foreign Affairs is allocated operating funds according to regulations.

The funding sources are guaranteed by the state budget. The management and use of personnel and budget comply with the Government's Decree  No.130/2005/NĐ-CP dated October 17, 2015 stipulating the autonomy and self-responsibility for the use of personel and administrative management budget for state agencies;Decree No. 16/2015/ND-CP dated February 14, 2015 of the gorvernment on regulations on autonomy of lower-level units and detailed regulations guiding the implementation.