Hanoi, March 14, 2025 – The Europe Today: The Steering Committee for restructuring and reorganising administrative units, along with developing a two-level local administration model, convened for the first time in Hanoi under the chairmanship of Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Hoà Bình.
During the meeting, the committee reviewed its establishment decision and discussed its operational plans. Minister of Justice Nguyễn Hải Ninh stated that amendments to the Law on Organisation of Local Governments will soon be introduced to facilitate the transition to a two-level administrative system. These amendments aim to clarify the roles and responsibilities of provincial administrations and their subordinate levels while managing the transition of duties, powers, and organisational structures.
Ninh further noted that discussions with National Assembly (NA) agencies would determine whether a resolution is required to address challenges arising from the reorganisation of administrative units.
Minister of Agriculture and Environment Đỗ Đức Duy concurred, highlighting the absence of an official timeline for concluding the district-level administration model. He suggested that if the transition is to be completed by June 30, an NA resolution should be enacted by May, with amendments to relevant laws anticipated in October.
Nguyễn Phương Thuý, Vice Chairwoman of the NA’s Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs, emphasised the need to amend the State Budget Law to adjust financial allocations, given that communal administrations’ responsibilities will increase after the reorganisation.
Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà reported that the steering committee is set to submit a restructuring and reorganisation report to the Party Central Committee in mid-April, indicating a substantial workload ahead. She highlighted that Vietnam currently has 10,035 commune-level administrative units, which will be consolidated into approximately 2,000. Once the legal framework, including the revised Law on Organisation of Local Governments, is in place, the committee will prioritise the reorganisation of provincial-level administrations before proceeding with other adjustments.
Concluding the session, Deputy PM Nguyễn Hoà Bình underscored the complexity and significance of the restructuring process. He called for a high level of responsibility and strong cooperation among ministries, sectors, and steering committee members.
The Deputy PM detailed the Government’s proposal, which entails transferring one-third of district-level administrative responsibilities to provincial authorities while decentralising the remaining two-thirds to commune-level administrations. The Politburo will determine the names of communes and implementation timelines, with consultations planned for the following week with party organisations, ministries, and localities.
He assigned specific tasks to various ministries and agencies, urging them to proactively propose measures related to legal procedures and jurisdiction in the context of the restructuring process.
