After the merger and arrangement of administrative units in 2025, the scale of the area and population of many localities have changed fundamentally, far exceeding the old classification standards. Therefore, the Government has issued Decree No. 307/2025/ND-CP with new regulations on the classification of administrative units.
According to the new regulations, Hanoi City and Ho Chi Minh City are special provincial-level administrative units; the remaining centrally-run cities are provincial-level administrative units of type I.
The province is divided into three types: type I, type II and type III.
The commune is divided into three types: type I, type II and type III.
Wards and special zones are divided into four types: special type, type I, type II and type III.
The Decree regulating the classification of administrative units is implemented by the scoring method. The administrative unit classification score is the total score achieved for the criteria for classifying administrative units with a maximum of 100 points and priority points (if any). The score of each criterion is rounded to two decimals.
Criteria for classifying administrative units include: Criteria for population size; criteria for natural area; criteria for socio-economic development conditions; specific criteria.
The Decree clearly states that in case the criterion is at the level of being calculated for additional points, the additional points will be calculated according to the percentage of the difference compared to the additional points of that criterion.
Wards and special zones are classified as special when they have a total score of 90 points or more (excluding priority points), have a large population size and natural area, and meet the priority criteria according to regulations.
Administrative units are classified as I when their total score is 75 points or more, except for wards and special zones classified as special.
Administrative units are classified as II when their total score ranges from 60 points to less than 75 points.
Administrative units that score below 60 points are classified as III.
The Decree clearly stipulates the criteria for classification and how to calculate the scores for classifying administrative units of provinces, communes, wards and special zones.
For provincial administrative units, the Decree stipulates the classification criteria and the method of calculating classification scores as follows:
1. Population scale:
a) Provinces with 2,000,000 or less people are entitled to 10 points; over 2,000,000 people are entitled to an additional 0.5 points for every 60,000 people, but the maximum is not more than 25 points;
b) Mountainous provinces apply the rate of 75% prescribed in Point a.
2. Natural areas from 8,000 km2 and below are calculated with 10 points, over 8,000 km2, for every additional 200 km2 an additional 0.5 point is calculated, but not exceeding 25 points.
The Decree clearly states that the Minister of Home Affairs decides to recognize the classification of provincial and ward-level administrative units, especially special-class areas.
The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee decides to classify commune-level administrative units, except for the above-mentioned cases.
The Decree takes effect from November 27, 2025.
