On November 13, 1945, the Government Council unanimously agreed with the proposal of Comrade Phạm Ngọc Thạch to establish a Government Inspection Board to be dispatched to the provinces. This Inspection Board was empowered to bring offenders to trial before a Special Court. After discussion, the Government Council decided to assign Comrade Phạm Ngọc Thạch to draft a proposal on the organization and operation of the Inspection Board. At the same time, it decided to establish an Inspection Board in each ministry, placed under the authority of an administrative inspector appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. These Inspection Boards were authorized to sanction those who committed violations and to commend those who performed well.
On November 14, 1945, the Government Council convened to discuss the proposal for the establishment of a Special Inspection Board, drafted and presented by Comrade Phạm Ngọc Thạch. After deliberation, the Government Council decided to promulgate a decree establishing a Special Inspection Board of the Government.
After a period of preparation in terms of procedures, documents, and personnel, on November 23, 1945, President Hồ Chí Minh signed Decree No. 64-SL establishing the Special Inspection Board. Subsequently, on December 31, 1945, President Hồ Chí Minh signed Decree No. 80-SL appointing Mr. Bùi Bằng Đoàn and Mr. Cù Huy Cận to the Special Inspection Board. In response to urgent immediate requirements, the task of the Special Inspection Board was to regularly study and resolve petitions, complaints, and reports submitted by people from all social strata across localities to the Government and to President Hồ Chí Minh.
Alongside the establishment of the Special Inspection Board, during the final months of 1945 and the early months of 1946, the Government directed the establishment of Inspection Boards in several ministries, such as the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as Inspection Boards in the Northern and Southern Regions. Depending on each locality, the organization and tasks of the regional inspection bodies varied.
It can be said that the Special Inspection Board was established under a particularly significant historical context of the Vietnamese revolution. It was entrusted by the Government with extensive and demanding powers, serving not only as a regular instrument of the people’s democratic government but also fulfilling the important mission of reassuring the populace, mobilizing and uniting the entire nation, and creating the collective strength of the Vietnamese people in the cause of defending and liberating the Fatherland.
Immediately after being appointed to the Special Inspection Board, Mr. Bùi Bằng Đoàn was designated by President Hồ Chí Minh as Head of the Special Inspection Board. At the same time, President Hồ Chí Minh personally wrote letters of introduction for Mr. Bùi Bằng Đoàn and Mr. Cù Huy Cận to local authorities, thereby enhancing the prestige of the Special Inspection Board and facilitating favorable conditions for its operations.
The first task of the Board was to carefully study petitions and letters from people of all social strata, as well as from scholars and intellectuals from various regions. Recognizing the necessity of conducting on-site investigations to promptly address public demands, both members of the Special Inspection Board traveled to several localities.
The first locality visited by the Special Inspection Board was Hà Nam Province. There, the Board organized direct meetings to hear statements and appeals from several individuals who had been arrested and were being temporarily detained. After exchanging views with the Hà Nam Provincial Party Committee, the Board decided to release more than one-third of the over 60 detainees. With a reasonable and humane approach, this first inspection generated strong public sympathy, helping people better understand and place greater trust in the Government and President Hồ Chí Minh.
In early February 1946, the Special Inspection Board conducted an inspection into an embezzlement case involving the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Province X. Subsequently, in mid-February 1946, the Board traveled to Thanh Hóa Province to resolve wrongful accusation claims raised by detainees there. In late May 1946, the Board conducted on-site investigations and clearly identified wrongful actions by certain leaders within the provincial government apparatus of Province Y. Toward the end of 1946, the Special Inspection Board continued to address several cases based on complaints and reports from the public. Most cases were resolved through measures such as criticism, warnings, and recommendations directed at officials who had committed violations.
At that time, the activities of the Special Inspection Board mainly took place in provinces in the Northern Region and the North Central Region. This period may be regarded as the phase of establishment and initial operation of the Inspection sector. The number of personnel in the inspection force—from the Special Inspection Board to inspection boards of ministries and regions—was very limited. There was not yet a well-structured organizational system, and activities were not conducted regularly; much of the work was carried out on a part-time basis.
Although its activities were not extensive, the cases handled by the Special Inspection Board were typical in nature and related to many aspects of social life. Through inspection activities, the people clearly perceived that the Government and President Hồ Chí Minh consistently valued the voices, demands, and legitimate aspirations of all social strata, and strictly punished anyone who violated the Party’s and Government’s policies, thereby upholding discipline and the rule of law.
In the face of countless difficulties, the Government’s actions through inspection activities—first and foremost those of the Special Inspection Board—truly fostered trust among the people, encouraged nationwide unity in the struggle to safeguard and build the revolutionary government, and helped prepare the necessary strength for the resistance war against French colonial aggression.
