The merger of villages and residential groups in 2026 is identified as an important step in the roadmap for rearranging units at the grassroots level nationwide. The merger of villages and residential groups is not only aimed at streamlining the apparatus but also towards improving the efficiency of community governance, in line with the requirements of decentralization and delegation of power to grassroots levels.
At a working session with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, and the Government Inspectorate on April 17, Politburo Member, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung requested to assess the preliminary results of 1 year of implementing the arrangement of administrative units at all levels and the operation of local authorities at 2 levels, and definitively handle related obstacles.
In particular, the Prime Minister requested to urgently advise on arranging villages and residential groups nationwide and using a team of non-specialized officials. This is directed by the Government leadership to be completed in the second quarter of 2026.
Resolution No. 105/NQ-CP of the Government has assigned the Ministry of Home Affairs to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to improve legal regulations, guide and monitor the arrangement of villages and residential groups in communes and wards; and at the same time review and adjust the team of non-specialized personnel in accordance with new requirements.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs will preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to develop new documents to complete the legal framework for the organization model in residential areas, and at the same time review policies for staff directly participating in work in villages and residential groups.
According to the plan, the review and arrangement of villages, hamlets, and residential groups will be implemented nationwide in 2026. In many localities, preparation work has begun to be included in the key work program.
In Ninh Binh, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Home Affairs to preside over the development of a Project on arranging, merging and reorganizing villages and residential groups according to Decision No. 257/QD-UBND. The dossier is expected to be completed and submitted to competent authorities in April 2026.
In Nghe An, the preparation of plans to arrange blocks, hamlets, villages, and residential groups has also been officially included in the direction. Directive No. 07-CT/TU of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee requests all levels and sectors to proactively take all necessary conditions to be ready to implement when there are instructions from the Central Government.
The whole country currently has about 90,508 villages and residential groups, including 69,580 villages and 20,928 residential groups. This is a very large scale, directly related to management activities at the grassroots level as well as people's lives, so the arrangement needs to be carried out cautiously, synchronously and with an appropriate roadmap.
According to Article 7a of Circular 04/2012/TT-BNV, amended by Clause 4, Clause 5, Article 1 of Circular 14/2018/TT-BNV, the conditions for merging villages and residential groups are clearly stipulated:
Villages and residential groups with a scale of less than 50% of standard households must merge with adjacent units.
Villages and residential groups reaching 50% or more can be merged if they meet the conditions.
Mergers must consider specific factors such as geography, terrain, customs and habits.
The merger plan must be approved by over 50% of voters or household representatives.
According to current regulations, the merger process is carried out similarly to the establishment of new villages and residential groups, including: Building a project; collecting voters' opinions; submitting to competent authorities for approval; deciding on the establishment after the merger.
In case of administrative unit conversion, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee will decide to convert the village into a corresponding residential group.
