In Di An ward - the most populous ward in Ho Chi Minh City with nearly 256,000 people, the locality is implementing a plan to rearrange neighborhoods to improve the efficiency of population management. Accordingly, the number of neighborhoods is expected to increase from 19 to 28 by keeping, merging or separating neighborhoods with too large population sizes.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dong - Secretary of the Party Committee of Di An Ward - said that the arrangement aims to build a streamlined grassroots apparatus, operating effectively and efficiently, meeting development requirements in the new period. The locality also prioritizes keeping neighborhood names associated with local history and culture, and at the same time researches appropriate numbering plans for convenient management.
The arrangement is part of the plan to review and reorganize 5,947 neighborhoods, hamlets, villages and residential areas in 168 communes, wards, and special zones in Ho Chi Minh City according to Decree 185/2026 of the Government. Ho Chi Minh City will terminate the operation of the self-managed people's groups and residential groups model in 66 communes and wards in Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau areas before.
According to new regulations, neighborhoods in wards must have at least 700 households, while hamlets and villages in communes must have 500 households or more. Special areas such as Thanh An commune, Con Dao special zone or areas with difficult geographical conditions are applied a minimum level equal to half.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee requests to minimize the separation of an existing neighborhood or hamlet into many new units. The arrangement must ensure community-based population linkages, not change the administrative boundaries of communes and must be consistent with the geographical, cultural, and population characteristics of each locality. Neighborhoods and hamlets that do not meet the scale standards will have to be merged or reorganized.
In parallel with arranging neighborhoods and hamlets, the city also reviews the team of non-specialized workers and those participating in activities at the grassroots level. According to the plan, after arranging, each locality must select and arrange a team of non-specialized workers to meet the new regulations. The city requires prioritizing people with prestige in the community, with experience in mobilizing the masses, and at the same time gradually rejuvenating the team and meeting the requirements of digital transformation at the grassroots level.
