The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed that localities suspend some ongoing district and commune merger activities for the 2023-2030 period to focus on implementing the new policy of provincial mergers and the abolition of district-level administrative units as per the Politburo’s conclusions.

Yesterday, despite being a day off, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a document to provincial and municipal People’s Committees, requesting a temporary halt to certain administrative unit arrangements.

Suspension of old criteria-based mergers

The ministry requested that centrally governed cities and provinces temporarily cease submitting proposals for district- and commune-level administrative restructuring according to Resolution No. 1211 of 2016 by the National Assembly Standing Committee.

Localities were also instructed to suspend the classification of administrative units, as well as the verification and approval of administrative boundary records and maps under Project 513. Additionally, the preparation of new and updated administrative boundary documentation was halted in accordance with previous resolutions.

Furthermore, localities were directed to pause the development of comprehensive planning components for district- and commune-level administrative units for the period up to 2030, with a vision to 2045, as outlined in Document No. 8657 dated December 31, 2024. This suspension will continue until new directives are issued.

Reasons behind the suspension

All suspended activities were originally carried out under Conclusion No. 48 of the Politburo and Resolution No. 35/2023 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, aimed at restructuring district- and commune-level administrative units during the 2023-2030 period.

The policy of rearranging administrative units follows Resolution 18 from the 6th Central Conference of the 12th Party Congress in 2017, which emphasizes streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of the political system.

In recent years, Vietnam has conducted two rounds of administrative unit mergers during the periods 2019-2021 and 2023-2025. As a result, the number of district-level units decreased from 713 to 696, and commune-level units were reduced from 11,162 to 10,035.

At the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs continued to guide 51 localities on implementing administrative restructuring for the 2023-2025 period, as approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee. This included urgently organizing personnel arrangements and managing public assets to stabilize local governance in preparation for party congresses at all levels.

New approach to administrative restructuring

The Ministry of Home Affairs is reviewing and proposing new merger plans for district and commune-level administrative units that do not meet population and area criteria as outlined in Resolution No. 35/2023. This proactive approach aims to streamline the local government system in the 2023-2030 period.

Before the issuance of Conclusion 127 on February 28 by the Politburo, the country was already drafting plans to restructure district- and commune-level administrative units for the period 2025-2030. The conclusion outlined a major shift, including merging certain provinces, eliminating district-level units, and continuing commune mergers under a new local government model.

Phan Trung Tuan, Director of the Department of Local Government at the Ministry of Home Affairs, clarified that the suspended tasks are related to previous resolutions, while current activities to implement the new provincial merger and district elimination policy continue with urgency and determination.

According to the new policy, provinces and cities will be restructured following a two-tier local government model: provincial (centrally governed city) and grassroots (commune) levels.

The country aims to reduce the number of provinces by 50%, eliminate district-level units, and consolidate communes to around 3,000, a reduction of 60-70%. The draft plan is currently under consultation with various sectors and local authorities before being submitted to the 11th Central Conference in April for approval.

In June, the National Assembly Standing Committee is expected to approve resolutions on commune mergers, while the National Assembly will pass a resolution on provincial mergers. The commune mergers are scheduled for completion and operationalization by July 1, while provincial mergers will follow, becoming operational by September 1.

Thu Hang