After Thua Thien Hue became a centrally-governed city from January 1, 2025, many forest rangers at the Nam Dong Forest Protection Department and the old Hue City Forest Protection Department fell into a situation of unpaid wages for 3 consecutive months.
The main reason is the reorganization of administrative units according to Resolution 1314/2024 of the National Assembly Standing Committee and Resolution 175/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly on the establishment of Hue City under the Central Government. The two new districts of Thuan Hoa and Phu Xuan were established, while Nam Dong district was merged into Phu Loc district.
However, the conversion process of the Forest Protection Departments is delayed, there is no specific decision on merging and renaming the unit, leading to no seals to conduct administrative transactions and carry out salary procedures. Hue City Forest Protection Department plans to change to Thuan Hoa - Phu Xuan Inter-district Forest Protection Department, but so far there has been no official decision.
Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan - Head of the Hue City Forest Protection Department confirmed that there was a unpaid salary. The Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hue City issued Decision 83/2025 on March 20, 2025, transferring all officers of the Nam Dong Forest Protection Department to Phu Loc Forest Protection Department from March 1, 2025. However, the officials said that the salary for January and February 2025 has not been paid due to lack of legal basis.
Not only the salary issue, the lack of seals also makes it difficult for units to do professional work, protect forests and prevent forest fires. In addition, due to not paying social insurance for three months, officers have difficulty confirming the insurance payment period to apply for retirement benefits.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duc - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hue City admitted the situation of late salary of forest rangers and said that they are coordinating with the Department of Justice and the Department of Home Affairs to find solutions. He also shared that solving this problem takes more time than expected, because it is not possible to foresee all administrative procedures during the merger and change of units.
