Brian Jeffrey
Reforming Vietnam’s Political Landscape: Key Insights
The forthcoming reform aims to simplify the political system, posing significant challenges, particularly in safeguarding land and public resources from inefficiency that stems from the ‘nobody’s business’ mentality following mergers.
Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Phuc, formerly the Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Review, discussed strategies with VietNamNet to mitigate the risk of land and asset mismanagement after these consolidations.
Historical Context of Local Government Restructuring
Vietnam’s local governance has seen several rounds of mergers and divisions. However, the current restructuring is being touted as a revolutionary change.
To begin with, it is taking place simultaneously across the provincial, district, and commune levels. This reform notably marks the elimination of the district level, resulting in a streamlined two-tier system that includes only the provincial and commune levels.
Additionally, this is the first instance of merging both provincial and commune levels at the same time. The entire process is expected to be completed swiftly, in conjunction with preparations for upcoming Party Congresses, including the 14th National Party Congress.
Moreover, this restructuring aligns with a broader movement to enhance the efficiency of the political framework.
In line with Central Committee directives, the number of provinces will decrease from 63 to 34, reducing 18,440 staff positions. Concurrently, commune units will drop from 10,035 to over 3,320—representing a decrease of nearly 67%—resulting in a cut of 110,780 jobs.
This reorganization will lead to a leaner political structure across all levels, simplifying administrative roles and workforce requirements, thus laying a solid foundation for advancing Vietnam’s national development.
Creating Stronger Administrative Units
The aim of merging administrative divisions goes beyond mere numbers; it seeks to form new provinces and communes that are more robust than their individual counterparts. Following the consolidation, new growth opportunities must be fostered to enhance the living standards of the population in both material and spiritual aspects.
Preventing Loss of Public Assets
The timely directives are critical in ensuring that land and public resources are safeguarded from loss or waste during and after the provincial and commune mergers. This includes preventing any exploitation of these assets for private gain.
Instances arise where public land had been lost post-merger in certain areas, primarily due to the prevalent ‘nobody’s business’ philosophy.
Key Strategies for Successful Reform
Several key strategies are essential for the effective execution of this reform:
- Enhancing communication to ensure unity within the Party and consensus among the populace.
- Thoroughly preparing documentation and personnel for successful Party Congresses.
- Selecting competent individuals for vital roles.
- Promptly initiating operations in new administrative units.
- Strengthening leadership skills.
- Fortifying discipline within the Party as part of establishing a socialist, rule-of-law state.
- Encouraging and respecting the role of citizens in governance.
- Implementing sensible policies to retain talented individuals.
