Proposal to merge districts that do not meet criteria for area and population in Vietnam

Proposal to merge districts that do not meet criteria for area and population in Vietnam​ (Image from the internet)

On February 18, 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Decision 73/QD-BNV regarding the Program of practicing thrift and combating wastefulness by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the year 2025.

Proposal to merge districts that do not meet criteria for area and population in Vietnam

One of the key tasks in the practice of thrift and combating wastefulness in 2025 noted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Decision 73/QD-BNV in 2025 is the requirement to continue, guide, and supervise 51 localities in rearranging administrative units at the district and commune levels for the 2023-2025 period as approved by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

Simultaneously, promptly reorganize and arrange official public employees, handle state assets post-arrangement to ensure stability for the organization of party congresses at all levels in 2025.

In addition, the Ministry also requires continued review, propose a plan to merge district-level, communal administrative units for those units that do not meet criteria for area and population according to Resolution 35/2023/UBTVQH15 by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to proactively plan the arrangement of district and commune administrative units for the 2023-2030 period.

Thus, the Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed the merger of districts that do not meet the criteria for area and population in the upcoming period, specifically the 2026-2030 period according to Resolution 35/2023/UBTVQH15.

Regulations for districts not meeting criteria for area and population subject to merger in the period 2026-2030 in Vietnam

The district-level administrative units that do not meet criteria for area, population subject to merger in the period 2026-2030 are regulated as follows:

- District-level and commune-level administrative units simultaneously have a natural area and population size below 100% of the standard of the corresponding administrative unit regulated in the Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on standards for administrative units and classification of administrative units;

- District-level administrative units simultaneously have a natural area below 30% and a population size below 200% of the standard of the corresponding administrative unit regulated in the Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on standards for administrative units and classification of administrative units;

- Communal administrative units simultaneously have a natural area below 30% and a population size below 300% of the standard of the corresponding administrative unit regulated in the Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on standards for administrative units and classification of administrative units.

The arrangement of district and commune administrative units includes cases of establishment, merging, dissolution, and adjustment of administrative unit boundaries of districts, urban districts, district-level towns, cities under the provinces, and cities under centrally-controlled cities.

(Paragraph 3 Article 1 Resolution 35/2023/UBTVQH15)

Regulations on the number of leaders, managers, and officials after the merger of districts in Vietnam

(1) When drafting a project to arrange district-level, commune-level administrative units, the provincial People's Committee must direct the review, propose a plan for arranging, assigning tasks for officials and public employees according to the job position, clearly determine the surplus number of officials, civil servants, and public employees associated with the implementation of staffing reduction; the arrangement of the number of leaders, managers in new agencies, organizations, and redundant officials and public employees, and workers must have a roadmap suitable to the specific circumstances of each locality and the deadline specified in (3).

(2) The provincial People's Committee decides the list, number of job positions and continues to implement staffing reduction, restructuring the workforce of officials and public employees according to the resolutions, conclusions of the Communist Party, legal regulations, and in accordance with the actual situation of the locality.

(3) No later than 5 years from the effective date of the resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the arrangement for each administrative unit, the number of leaders, managers, and the number of officials and public employees, workers in agencies, organizations at the administrative unit post-arrangement must comply with the regulations. In special cases, report to the Ministry of Home Affairs for submission to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

(Article 11 Resolution 35/2023/UBTVQH15)

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE