The review is among a series of tasks assigned by the ministry in response to directives from General Secretary and State President To Lam after a recent working session with the Central Steering Committee overseeing the one-year review of the political system and the two-tier local government model.

Assessing the potential for larger administrative units

The ministry has instructed its subordinate agencies to urgently supplement and finalize reports prepared by the Government Party Committee for submission to the Central Steering Committee.

The reports must closely follow conclusions delivered by General Secretary and State President To Lam during the June 18 working session.

A key task assigned to the Department of Local Government is to study and evaluate the necessity of further administrative restructuring through the merger of selected communes and wards.

The assessment will be based on a review of criteria including natural land area, population size, infrastructure conditions, the capacity of local officials and the development requirements of the next stage.

According to the ministry, the review should focus on maximizing the advantages of governance at a larger scale while creating conditions for stronger application of information technology and digital transformation in local administration.

The ministry has also called for research into the possibility of establishing urban administrative units that can serve as development hubs, coordinating infrastructure investment, public services and key economic zones.

In parallel, agencies have been asked to propose solutions for reviewing development space following administrative restructuring to ensure that newly adjusted boundaries do not become barriers to economic and social development.

Reassessing the capacity of commune-level officials

The Department of Civil Servants and Public Employees has been tasked with conducting a deeper assessment of the performance of commune-level governments after they were granted broader authority under decentralisation and delegation reforms.

The evaluation will focus on areas including land management, construction, finance, justice, industry and trade, agriculture, environmental management and socio-cultural affairs.

Notably, ministry documents cite data from the Central Steering Committee indicating that only about 53 percent of provincial-level officials and 30 percent of commune-level officials currently meet all requirements associated with their responsibilities.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has requested a clearer assessment of staffing levels, the availability of specialised personnel and the extent to which officials are assigned roles aligned with their professional expertise in both merged and non-merged localities.

The ministry also wants agencies to examine challenges arising from the application of a uniform organisational model and decentralisation framework across localities with vastly different levels of development, administrative capacity, transport infrastructure and digital readiness.

According to the ministry, significant differences between communes in major urban centres and those in mountainous, remote and underserved regions require more tailored solutions for organisational structures and task allocation.

Decentralisation must be matched with resources

The Department of Organisation and Staffing has been assigned to evaluate whether the resources allocated to local governments are sufficient to support the responsibilities transferred through decentralisation and delegation reforms.

Particular attention will be paid to human resources, funding mechanisms and the division of revenue and expenditure responsibilities within commune-level budgets.

The department has also been instructed to review the effectiveness, autonomy and operational rationale of public service units following administrative restructuring.

The ministry stressed that decentralisation must be accompanied by adequate resources, implementation capacity and mechanisms for oversight and accountability.

Under this principle, responsibilities should be transferred together with personnel, funding, data, operational tools and clearly defined accountability.

Tasks that commune-level authorities can perform effectively should continue to be delegated. Responsibilities that exceed local capacity should receive support from provincial authorities or be organised through inter-commune and regional arrangements.

The ministry has also asked the Department of Civil Servants and Public Employees to further assess the ability of commune-level governments to handle newly delegated responsibilities, particularly in areas such as land administration, construction, finance, justice, agriculture and environmental management.

The review will focus on staffing levels, specialist personnel and workforce allocation across local governments.

In addition, agencies are expected to identify shortcomings associated with applying a single organisational and decentralisation model to localities that differ significantly in development conditions, workforce quality and infrastructure.

Building a stronger public-sector workforce

Regarding personnel policy, the Ministry of Home Affairs has requested research into two major priorities: strengthening administrative discipline and accountability, and enhancing the responsibility of agency leaders.

The ministry is also calling for reforms to official evaluation systems, improved identification and development of high-performing personnel and stronger mechanisms for recognising and promoting talented individuals capable of meeting the governance demands of a new development phase.

In addition, authorities have been tasked with exploring mechanisms to increase staffing support for disadvantaged areas and strategic sectors.

The ministry is also considering policies that would facilitate labour mobility between the public and private sectors as part of broader efforts to attract, develop and effectively utilise high-quality human resources.

Vu Diep