From the requirement to streamline the apparatus at the grassroots level
In Directive No. 21/CT-TTg dated May 20, 2026, the Prime Minister requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to review all villages and residential groups in the area, develop a comprehensive plan to arrange and reorganize villages and residential groups before June 10, 2026. Before June 30, 2026, commune-level People's Committees must develop specific projects, organize to collect people's opinions, submit them to the commune-level People's Council for approval, ensuring publicity, transparency and creating consensus in the implementation process.
Implementing Directive 21, in many localities across the country, a large-scale review and arrangement of villages and residential groups has begun.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, by 2025, the whole country will have 89,574 villages and residential groups, a decrease of 47,250 units after 10 years of implementing Resolution 18-NQ/TW and current regulations. However, after the arrangement of provincial and commune-level administrative units in 2025, the average number of villages and residential groups per commune increased from about 9 to 27 units, creating great pressure on commune-level authorities in managing, operating and handling daily work.
Decree 185/2026/ND-CP, effective from May 26, 2026, stipulates new criteria for household size, which is the basis for localities to reorganize the network of villages, hamlets, neighborhoods, and residential groups in accordance with new management practices.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Dr. Doan Van Tinh - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Human Resource Management, Academy of Public Administration and Management - said that increasing the scale of households in villages and residential groups is a step in line with the requirements of local governance innovation. According to him, this is an inevitable step to streamline the apparatus and restructure institutions at the grassroots level.
Reducing the number of village and residential group focal points will help reduce the number of non-specialized workers and save operating costs for the apparatus. More importantly, the saved resources can be used for investment in essential infrastructure, cultural institutions, social security and socio-economic development tasks in the locality.
Many localities plan to sharply reduce the number of units
In many localities, arrangement plans are being built in the direction of sharply reducing the number of existing villages and residential groups.
In Lam Dong, the goal set is that after arrangement, the number of villages and residential groups must be reduced by at least 50%. According to the plan, Lam Vien - Da Lat ward is reduced by 67.31%, Mui Ne ward is reduced by 61.54%, Bao Lam 2 commune is reduced by 61.29%, Cat Tien commune is reduced by 60.87%...
In Thai Nguyen, the whole province has 3,145 villages and residential groups. Through initial review, Thai Nguyen province plans to rearrange and reorganize 2,926 villages and residential groups; maintain the stability of 177 units and continue to consider 42 units with specific factors. If the plan is approved, Thai Nguyen will have 1,416 villages and residential groups, a decrease of 1,729 units, equivalent to about 55%.
In Hanoi, the whole city currently has 5,467 villages and residential groups; the post-arrangement plan is expected to have 2,755 units, a decrease of 2,712 units compared to the current situation.
Some communes in Hanoi have also developed specific plans. Chuyen My commune currently has 35 villages, of which 25 villages do not meet the standards for the number of households. It is expected that after arrangement, the whole commune will have 16 villages, a decrease of 19 villages. The number of non-specialized workers in villages will decrease from 90 to 68 people; the number of association, union, grassroots security, and village team leaders will decrease by 140 people.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Chi - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Chuyen My commune - emphasized that the arrangement and merger of villages is a major policy to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the political system at the grassroots level, and at the same time create conditions to concentrate resources to serve socio-economic development in the area.
As for Bat Bat commune, Mr. Do Quang Trung - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Commune People's Council - informed that the arrangement must ensure compliance with legal regulations and local practices; not mechanical arrangement, not running after the goal of reducing the number of units, but must comprehensively consider historical, cultural, religious, customary, infrastructure, geographical boundaries and people's aspirations.
Not just mechanical addition
The most difficult point of the process of arranging villages and residential groups is how to both streamline and maintain community stability. Because villages, hamlets, and neighborhoods are not only a population management space, but also a place associated with history, culture, customs, beliefs and spiritual life of people through many generations.
Dr. Doan Van Tinh said that merging villages and residential groups is "not just an administrative mechanical addition". According to him, this is also a process of cultural and community harmony. Therefore, the collection of people's opinions must be carried out substantively and fully. When people agree, the government's policy becomes the common aspiration of the community.
For example, in Dong Van commune, Tuyen Quang province, the plan is expected to reduce from 69 villages to about 20 villages. Among them, 4 villages Ma Pi Leng, Seo Xa Lung, Sa Lung and Seo Sa Lung are expected to merge into the new Ma Pi Leng village.
Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thiet - Secretary of the Party Cell, Head of Seo Sa Lung village - shared that if the name Ma Pi Leng is kept for the new village, this will be a great advantage to develop community tourism, promote local products, and open up more livelihoods for people in the rocky plateau.
The story in Dong Van shows that naming new villages is not just an administrative procedure. A suitable name can preserve community memories, while opening up new development opportunities, especially in localities with strengths in tourism, culture, and unique agricultural products.
Ninh Binh expects to reduce nearly 3,000 villages and residential groups from July 1st
Ninh Binh is expected to reduce nearly 3,000 villages and residential groups, aiming for a streamlined grassroots apparatus and ensuring regimes for redundant officials.
After merging Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh, from July 1, 2025, Ninh Binh province officially operates a 2-level local government model. After nearly a year, the political system has gradually been consolidated, and the efficiency of State management has been improved.
However, through review, many villages, hamlets, and residential groups are not suitable for new management requirements; some units do not meet standards. The arrangement of non-specialized personnel and community management is still scattered, not meeting the requirements of digital transformation and building a government to serve the people.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tuyen - Deputy Director of Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Home Affairs - said that according to preliminary review, the whole province currently has over 4,400 villages and residential groups. After the arrangement and consolidation process, the number of units is expected to decrease to about 1,500 villages and residential groups, a decrease of nearly 3,000 units.
According to the plan, localities must complete the development of projects, collect voters' opinions and submit them to the commune-level People's Council for approval before June 25. The new villages and residential groups will officially go into operation from July 1, 2026" - Mr. Tuyen said.
According to Directive No. 13-CT/TU dated June 4, 2026 of Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee, the arrangement of villages and residential groups must ensure compliance with regulations, publicity, democracy, and transparency. The implementation process needs to fully consider factors of geography, history, culture, customs, population characteristics and community cohesion, especially in mountainous areas, ethnic minorities and areas with religious elements.
The arrangement and use of non-specialized personnel at the commune level, in villages, and residential groups must ensure publicity, transparency, objectivity, and compliance with regulations, associated with the process of implementing the arrangement of villages and residential groups. At the same time, fully implement regimes and policies to ensure the stability of ideology and rights of non-specialized personnel in villages and residential groups in the process of arranging and consolidating the organization.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tuyen, because the scale of villages and residential groups after the merger will be many times larger than before, the requirement is to select and introduce non-specialized personnel in villages and residential groups who are reputable, healthy, dedicated, responsible, and capable of mobilizing the masses. At the same time, gradually rejuvenate and improve the level of information technology application, community management skills and quality and efficiency of serving the people.
Communes and wards are required to simultaneously develop personnel plans, arrange new village heads and residential group leaders, and properly resolve regimes and policies for people who quit their jobs due to arrangement so that the new apparatus operates smoothly from the first day" - Mr. Tuyen informed.
NGUYEN TRUONG
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Deputy Director of the Local Government Department, Ministry of Home Affairs Nguyen Thi Tu Thanh said that the general orientation is to arrange villages and residential groups in the direction of streamlining focal points, reducing the number of villages and residential groups but must be suitable to the scale, reality and characteristics of each region. The goal is to improve the operational efficiency at the grassroots level, reducing direct management pressure for commune-level authorities.
To make this process effective, localities cannot act hastily, rigidly or just chase after the target of reducing the number. Each option must put people at the center, respect the history, culture, customs, habits and natural conditions of each area. The collection of people's opinions must be substantive, clearly explain the benefits, fully listen to concerns, especially about the name, community activity location, officials after arrangement and people's travel distance.
Arranging villages and residential groups is a difficult task, directly affecting people's daily lives. Therefore, it is necessary to do it carefully, scientifically, transparently and humanely, this will be an important step to make the grassroots apparatus more streamlined, stronger, and closer to the people; and at the same time create more resources for socio-economic development in the new period.
In Bac Ninh province, according to the plan to arrange villages and residential groups in the area, the locality is expected to have 1,374 villages and residential groups after arrangement; a reduction of 1,484 villages and residential groups (a reduction of 51.92%). Along with the plan to arrange villages and residential groups, Bac Ninh province also develops a plan to arrange non-specialized personnel in villages and residential groups. In which, it proposes to resolve policies and regimes according to Decree No. 154/2025/ND-CP of the Government regulating streamlining staff for non-specialized personnel in 1,484 villages and residential groups.
Agreeing with the plan to arrange villages and residential groups, Chairman of Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee Pham Hoang Son also requested that the arrangement must ensure compliance with regulations, progress and scale as required by the Central Government. The arrangement process must respect historical and traditional cultural values, and preserve landmarks of special significance to the residential community. Names associated with the long-standing history and culture of the locality need to be carefully studied before deciding to change.
Pham Dong
