Việt Nam prepares plans to merge provincial administrative units,ban sep hang y abolish district level

March 02, 2025 - 16:01 Your browser does not support the audio element. It aims to implement a two-tier local governance model to ensure streamlined, efficient, and effective operations.

Ỷ La Ward's police in Tuyên Quang City on the first day of dissolving district police units on March 1, 2025. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The proposals on merging provinces and abolishing the district-level authorities must be submitted to the Party Central Committee before April 7, the Politburo and the Secretariat said in the latest plan.

In Conclusion No. 127 issued last week, the Politburo and the Secretariat asked the Party Committee of the Government to work with the Party Central Committee's Organisation Commission, the Party Committee of the National Assembly, the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and relevant agencies to prepare proposals on the merger of certain provincial administrative units, the abolition of the district level, and the continued merger of commune-level administrative units.

It aims to implement a two-tier local governance model to ensure streamlined, efficient, and effective operations.

In addition to criteria like population size and area, provincial merging must carefully consider the national master plan, regional plans, local plans, socio-economic development strategies, sector development, spatial expansion, comparative advantages and development demands of each locality in the new era.

Commune-level reorganisation must identify local government models for urban, rural, mountainous, plain and island areas as needed, considering population size, area, history, culture, socio-economic issues, national defence, security, ethnicity, and religion.

The Politburo and Secretariat have tasked the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and central-level mass organisations to lead a comprehensive review of functions, tasks, and organisational structures of the provinces' and districts' affiliated agencies and organisations, especially media outlets, to ensure unified management and maximum streamlining, keeping only truly essential units.

The Politburo and Secretariat have also assigned the Central Organisation Commission to lead the research and development of a proposal on the local Party organisational system (at the provincial and commune levels). This will focus on synchronised models matching local government structures and strengthening grassroots Party organisations. This proposal must be reported to the Politburo no later than March 12.

The district-level court and procuracy systems will be abolished following the restructuring plan. The abolishing plan must be reported to the Politburo for guidance before seeking feedback from Party committees and organisations no later than March 9.

The Party Committee of the National Assembly is tasked, in coordination with the Government’s Party Committee, to direct research on amending certain articles of the Constitution, specifically regarding the political system's organisational structure. This must be reported to the Politburo in early March 2025 and submitted to the Central Committee by April 7, 2025. Finalisation of these constitutional amendments by the National Assembly is set for no later than June 30, 2025.

The Party Committees of the Government and National Assembly will research and propose amendments to laws such as the Law on Local Government Organisation, Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, Law on Inspection, Law on Planning, Law on Elections of National Assembly and People's Council Deputies, Law on Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents, Law on Organisation of the People’s Court, Law on Organisation of the People’s Procuracy and other related laws.

Decrees and regulations on mechanisms and policies for cadres, civil servants, public employees, and workers affected by local administrative reorganisation will also be developed.

These tasks must follow the overall timeline and be completed no later than June 30.

The Politburo and Secretariat have ordered the temporary suspension of commune- and district-level Party congresses. After the 11th Plenum of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo will issue specific directives and guidance on this matter.

As part of the restructuring plan, from March 1, 2025, Việt Nam has officially eliminated the district-level police and transitioned to a three-tier police structure: ministry, province, and commune. VNS