Brian Jeffrey
The Government has officially given the green light to a plan aimed at reorganizing administrative areas in Vietnam for 2025, which will see a decrease in the number of provincial and commune-level units.
As per Resolution No. 125, the Ministry of Home Affairs presented a restructuring proposal that has now been approved. Out of 63 current provincial units, 52 will be merged, while 11 will stay the same, including Hanoi, Hue, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Cao Bang.
This reorganization includes 23 merger plans, leading to the establishment of 23 new provincial-level units. After this restructuring, Vietnam will have 34 administrative units: 6 centrally governed cities (Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City) and 28 provinces (Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Ca Mau, and An Giang).
The Ministry of Home Affairs reported a strong public backing for the proposal, with a national approval rate averaging 96.19%. All levels of People’s Councils in 52 provinces and cities voted unanimously in favor of the reorganization.
At the commune level, the reorganization will cut down the number of units from 10,035 to 3,321, marking a reduction of 6,714 units, or 66.91%.
128 communes will remain unaffected due to their adherence to certain criteria related to area size, population, or geographic factors.
The updated structure will comprise 2,636 communes (xã), 672 wards (phường), and 13 special administrative regions (đặc khu). Among these, 3,193 units will be either newly formed through mergers or redefined boundaries.
Governance will also see changes, with two new committees introduced at the commune-level People’s Council: the Legal Affairs Committee and the Socio-Economic Committee.
The council of each commune will consist of a chairperson, one vice-chairperson, and the heads and deputy heads of these new committees, alongside other elected members. Positions will be assigned in accordance with the revised 2025 Law on Local Government Organization and relevant guidelines.
The commune-level People’s Committee will feature a chairperson, two vice-chairpersons, and additional members as specified by the new legislation. Departments and various administrative entities under this committee will operate according to government standards.
The National Assembly is slated to officially endorse the resolution for provincial-level mergers on June 24.
Meanwhile, the proposal regarding commune-level units is set to undergo review and approval by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly soon.
