Reduce the number of departments and party committees
From now until the end of 2024, Ho Chi Minh City will merge 80 wards in 10 districts, reducing the number to 41 wards. The new administrative units will officially operate from January 1, 2025.
In addition to merging 80 wards, when implementing Resolution 18 on streamlining the apparatus, the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee aims to reduce 8 departments, 5 administrative agencies and 24 party committees compared to the present.
Regarding the government sector, the HCMC People's Committee currently has 21 specialized agencies, including specific departments and units such as the Department of Food Safety, the Department of Planning and Architecture, and the Department of Tourism. There are currently 8 administrative agencies and 29 public service units.
The total staff assigned to agencies under the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is 30,497 people, of which 26,226 people belong to the administrative sector and professional agencies, the remaining 4,271 people belong to public service units.
Ho Chi Minh City is implementing the merger of 11 departments and ending the operations of 2 departments. Accordingly, the Department of Finance and the Department of Planning and Investment will be merged, the Enterprise Management Innovation Board will be transformed into a affiliated unit, and the Department of Construction, the Department of Transport, and the Department of Planning and Architecture will be merged.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are also being studied for merger. The Department of Tourism and the Department of Culture and Sports are being studied for merger. The Department of Information and Communications is also being studied for merger with the Department of Science and Technology. The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Department of Food Safety are being studied for termination of operations.
Regarding the Party organization, Ho Chi Minh City will reduce the number from the current 51 party committees to 27. Committees such as the Propaganda Committee and the City Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee will be merged,...
Shifting public service provision to public service units
Dr. Tran Quang Thang - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics and Management assessed that reducing the number of agencies not only limits overlapping functions, increases transparency but also saves resources to invest in socio-economic development programs, towards building smart cities. A compact and efficient apparatus will remove administrative procedure barriers, bringing a more convenient experience to people and businesses.
However, Mr. Tran Quang Thang said, this process also comes with challenges.
Increased workloads as staffing decreases can easily lead to overload, while mergers can disrupt the organization and personnel.
“To overcome this, Ho Chi Minh City needs to build a clear roadmap, invest heavily in digital transformation, retrain staff and develop a capable leadership team. Most importantly, listening to experts and the community will help make appropriate adjustments,” said Mr. Thang.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tan Phat - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Academy of Officials, emphasized that: "Public service units need to be given autonomy to compete effectively in the market."
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs Vo Ngoc Quoc Thuan said that the city is also promoting the autonomy mechanism for public service units, especially in the health sector, reducing staff and transferring salary expenditures from the state budget to autonomous revenue sources.
The HCMC People's Council has approved a policy to support officials and civil servants who have quit their jobs due to staff reduction or redundancy when restructuring administrative units. It is expected that about 175 billion VND will be spent each year, initially supporting more than 1,000 officials from 80 wards after the merger.
Ensure smooth work while streamlining the organization
Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen requested that the process of restructuring the apparatus must ensure smooth direction, without interruption of work or vacant areas. The arrangement must be serious, scientific, suitable to the reality and characteristics of the city, in order to promote efficiency and promptly overcome difficulties.
