Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra noted that the number and model of provincial-level administrative units to be reorganized and merged have been clarified following a Politburo meeting. It is expected that the restructuring of commune-level administrative units will be completed prior to June 30, and the restructuring of province-level before August 30.

At a recent Government Party Committee Standing Board meeting on streamlining the apparatus, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that the factors of historical, geographical, infrastructure connectivity and development spaces need to be considered when choosing provincial administrative centers.

Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Dinh remarked that administrative centers hold significant importance, reflecting a province’s stature. Thus, deciding their location requires careful evaluation to ensure they drive socio-economic development for the entire province.

He cited the 2008 example when Hanoi merged with Ha Tay province and some communes of Hoa Binh and VinhPhuc: the capital’s headquarters remained in the inner districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, and Ha Dong.

“Ha Tay’s ‘metropolis’ was Ha Dong, bordering Hanoi, so choosing the new administrative center’s location wasn’t too difficult. State agency headquarters in inner districts didn’t demand excessive travel time for officials or citizens,” Dinh explained.

Given today’s socio-economic progress, he believes that challenges from provincial mergers will soon be resolved. Modern transportation and roads can shrink long distances, while advanced IT allows citizens and businesses to handle administrative tasks online.

To avoid wastefulness when merging provinces, Dinh suggested that authorities promptly survey and assess unused headquarters, proposing valuation and repurposing plans. “Merging provinces or communes and leaving headquarters vacant will degrade them within a few years, wasting state assets,” he warned.

Architect Ngo Doan Duc, former Vice Chair of the Vietnam Architects Association, noted that merging provinces and communes will leave many headquarters redundant. He suggested that state management agencies can choose one of the headquarters as an administrative center after considering geographical positions, socio-economic goals, and infrastructure conditions.

In the past, when Ha Nam Ninh Province comprised Ha Nam, Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh) the center was placed in Nam Dinh. In case of Ha Bac Province, which comprised Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, the center was in Bac Giang because Bac Giang was then more developed, but after splitting, Bac Ninh surged ahead.

He said that today’s choice of administrative center differs significantly from the past. “If Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, and Nam  Dinh merge and aim for tourism-driven economic growth, placing the ‘command center’ in NinhBinh would make sense."

He proposed that post-merger headquarters locations align with socio-economic development goals and facilitate governance.

“There’ll be no shortage of public buildings to choose after mergers. But picking the right spot requires careful calculation,” he said.

Professor Vu Minh Giang, Vice Chair of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, noted that ancestors often chose provincial capitals based on tradition, convergence potential, and influence.

“In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Dai La, renaming it Thang Long—a hub of rivers, centrally located, with flat terrain ideal for travel. The Nguyen Dynasty picked Hue as their capital with feng shui in mind,” he explained.

Today, choosing provincial capitals differs due to economic, cultural, and social factors, Giang said. Leaders will weigh multiple aspects in their decisions.

Addressing the concerns that reorganization might erase local culture, he said that "place names are heritage, but we mustn’t confuse cultural space with administrative boundaries. Administrative lines are mappable; cultural space isn’t - it’s relative. They’re related but not identical."

Associate Prof Vu Van Phuc, Vice Chair of the Central Party Agencies’ Scientific Council and former Editor-in-Chief of Communist Review, stressed that choosing a new province’s headquarters after merging two or three provinces demands caution.

He cited Australia, where the capital isn’t a major city but a smaller one, or Indonesia’s plan to relocate its capital to a modern, newly built site.

“For Vietnam, when merging two provinces, the headquarters of the new province could be placed on their border. The new province needs to be developed into a modern urban center, a new city driving development for both former provinces,” he suggested.

He also urged consideration of diverse factors to ensure the new province has favorable natural conditions -mountains, midlands, plains, and coast - for robust growth.

Quang Phong - Thu Hang - Tran Thuong