Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is set to abolish operations of district-level administrations, transitioning to a streamlined two-tier administration model from July 1 as part of the Party’s policy to re-organise the political system's apparatus.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is working on amendments and supplements to the Law on Organisation of Local Governments to address related complications and clearly define jurisdictional authority, ensuring that the new administrative structure will operate with a full legal foundation, avoiding any governance gaps.
In the meantime, the National Assembly (NA) Party Committee is directing amendments to several provisions of the 2013 Constitution, specifically focusing on the organisational structure of the political system. These changes include amendments and supplements to Chapter IX on the local administrations, with plans to eliminate district-level administrative units and reorganise the local administrations into just two tiers.
Vice Chairwoman of the NA’s Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs Nguyen Phuong Thuy said that the Law on Organisation of Local Governments must be submitted to the parliament at the beginning of its 9th session scheduled to open on May 5 to gather feedback from lawmakers.
The Constitution will be adopted between June 20 and 25, providing the foundation for other laws to be passed such as the Law on Organisation of Local Governments, she said, expecting the Constitution to take effect simultaneously with the other laws on July 1.
Thuy held that the NA should issue a resolution to formally terminate operations of the district-level administrations, dissolve district-level administrative units, and end activities of district-level administration agencies when the Constitution and related laws come into effect.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra revealed that the proposal to merge certain provincial-level administrative units, eliminate the district level, and continue consolidating commune-level units is being carefully finalised for submission to the Party Central Committee at its upcoming 11th meeting. Upon the Party Central Committee’s approval, a national conference will be held on April 16 to implement the plan for merging provincial and communal-level administrative units and organising the two-tier local administration system.
The ministry aims to submit all matters related to provincial and communal mergence and the two-tier local administration organisation to the NA Standing Committee before June 30. By this date, the reorganisation of commune-level administrative units will be completed. From July 1, when certain constitutional amendments and revisions to the the Law on Organisation of Local Governments and related laws take effect, the district-level local administrations will end operations.
Tra added that the restructuring of courts, prosecutors' offices, and related forces will also align with the two-tier local administration model.
It is expected that Vietnam's current 63 provinces and cities will be merged into 34, district-level administrative operations will be eliminated, and about 5,000 commune/ward-level administrative units will be established.
The NA Standing Committee’s draft resolution on administrative unit reorganisation reveals that 11 provincial-level administrative units will not undergo reorganisation, including Hanoi, Hue, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh. Fifty-two provincial-level administrative units will be reorganised, including the four cities of Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, Can Tho and 48 provinces.
Reorganisation criteria for provincial and commune-level administrative units adhere to six criteria approved by the Politburo, namely natural area; population size; historical, traditional, cultural, religious, and ethnic criteria; geo-economic criteria (including geographical location, scale, and level of economic development); geo-political criteria; and national defence and security criteria./.
