On the morning of November 17, Director of the Department of Local Government, Ministry of Home Affairs Phan Trung Tuan said that currently the Party, National Assembly, and Government have no policy to continue implementing the arrangement and merger of provinces, cities, or commune-level administrative units.
"The information about the arrangement of 34 provinces and cities that currently have 16 provinces and cities in the coming period is completely inaccurate" - Mr. Phan Trung Tuan affirmed.
The decision to "rearrange the mountain goose" is a historic step, of strategic significance, marking a new development stage of perfecting the state administrative apparatus, perfecting the institutions and organization of the synchronous, streamlined, effective and efficient political system, towards perfecting a modern, close-to-the-people, close-to-the-people, serving the people, so that all benefits belong to the people.
In addition to the goal of streamlining the organizational apparatus, streamlining the payroll, reducing budget expenditures for the apparatus; opening up new space and development space for localities, Mr. Phan Trung Tuan said that the revolution in administrative unit arrangement at all levels to be implemented in early 2025 also aims to "long-term stabilization of the administrative unit system".
This major policy has been carefully studied and considered by the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government before being implemented.
"With the drastic participation of the entire political system, from July 1, 2025, the 2-level local government model (including provincial and commune/ward levels) has officially operated in all provinces and cities. The whole country has 34 provinces/cities and 3,321 communes, wards and special zones" - the Director of the Department of Local Government reiterated.
Previously, on the morning of June 12, 2025, the National Assembly voted to pass the Resolution on the arrangement of provincial-level administrative units in 2025. Accordingly, the country has 34 provincial-level administrative units, including 28 provinces and 6 cities.
Of which, there are 19 provinces and 4 cities formed after the arrangement prescribed in this resolution including: Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Ninh Binh, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Ca Mau, An Giang and 11 provinces and cities that do not implement the arrangement are the provinces: Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Ha Tinh, Lai Chau, Lang Son, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, Son La and Hanoi City, Hue City.
Along with the arrangement of administrative units, from July 1, the 2-level local government model (including the provincial and commune/ward levels) has officially operated in all provinces and cities.
Next is to implement the policy of promoting strong decentralization and delegation of power between the central and local governments, between provincial and commune governments according to the motto: "locality decides, locality does, locality is responsible".
At the same time, Mr. Phan Trung Tuan added that currently, the Ministry of Home Affairs is drafting a Decree guiding the collection of public opinions on the establishment, dissolution, merger, division, adjustment of boundaries and renaming of administrative units to replace Decree No. 54/2018/ND-CP and Decree No. 66/2023/ND-CP.
Accordingly, the draft decree dossier does not have an appendix attached to the list of arrangement and merger from 34 provinces and cities down to 16 provinces and cities as are the social networking sites spreading.
"The development of this decree is to implement the provisions of the Law on Organization of Local Government No. 72/2025/QH15 and Decision No. 1589/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister promulgating the Plan to implement the Law on Organization of Local Government No. 72/2025/QH15" - Mr. Tuan emphasized.
