Considerations in selecting the administrative center after the merger.

In the process of merging provinces, the question is whether to choose an administrative center located in an area with strong economic vitality, capable of generating development momentum for the entire province; or a location that provides convenience for citizens with a modern, convenient, and friendly administrative space. These are some of the key issues being considered.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Chuc.

According to Dr. Nguyen Viet Chuc, Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council on Culture and Society of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front , the selection of administrative centers should avoid waste.

PV: Sir, there are many opinions being expressed regarding the location of the provincial-level administrative center in the restructuring of provincial-level administrative units. But the important question is where to place it to truly be a modern and convenient administrative space for the new province. What are your thoughts on this?

Dr. Nguyen Viet Chuc: Currently, there are many different opinions, each with its own merits. However, in my opinion, the chosen administrative center should be a place that has previously served as the administrative center of a province. Firstly, that place has existed for decades, even centuries. In terms of facilities and infrastructure, it should already be quite well-equipped. For example, Phu Tho province chose Viet Tri as its administrative center, while Vinh Phuc province chose Vinh Yen. When choosing the center of a province, they considered many factors and reasons. Now, with the merger of two or three provinces into one, choosing one of those centers as the administrative center of the province is the most logical approach.

There are also opinions suggesting that the administrative center of the newly merged province should be a major center for economy, culture, national defense, security, and even foreign relations in the context of the country's international integration, thus justifying the construction of a new administrative center. What are your thoughts on this issue?

In my opinion, we shouldn't choose and build a new location for the administrative center because it would be costly. The chosen location for the administrative center must be worthy and function as the administrative center of a larger, newly merged province.

In particular, the new provincial leaders after the merger must be united and respect the original culture of that province. The old province may no longer have its name after the merger, but the culture remains; it hasn't disappeared. Therefore, they must respect the culture of that place, even with a more subtle and respectful approach, so that the people there are not offended.

I also believe that merging provinces is a challenge to end "local parochialism." After all, Vietnam is one country, the Vietnamese people are one nation, and we are united in diversity. Therefore, the administrative center of the new province should be a place that was already a center before; a place that was already a city or town, where the "urban" element has been established for decades, even centuries. Choosing a new administrative center that may be prosperous in agriculture and rural areas but forces its people to adapt to "urban" life would be counterproductive.

Now that urbanization is becoming increasingly rapid, administrative centers must be urban areas that are closely integrated with other urban areas.

The choice of administrative center should prioritize convenience for citizens. Photo: MH

Sir, the administrative center should be a place that facilitates convenience for the people. Choosing one of the old provincial administrative centers as the new provincial administrative center might be "convenient in one place" but "inconvenient" in another?

It's impossible to reconcile all factors. To give you a simple example, imagine a couple from two different hometowns – one close to the husband's family and the other far from the wife's, and vice versa. Should we really split the province in two and place the administrative center in the middle? Therefore, as I mentioned, we should choose one of the former administrative centers to become the administrative center of the new province after the merger.

Through mergers and streamlining the administrative apparatus, we also have the opportunity to select officials with the right mindset and new thinking. How can we develop if we continue with a parochial, localized way of thinking? The country now needs to be united and work together. When merging 2-3 provinces into one, the newly formed province must develop. Anyone with a parochial, localized mindset should be removed early to make way for officials with a broader, more progressive perspective.

This is a revolution that demands synchronized thinking, a new mindset, and a broader perspective for development, not just mergers like before. A revolution will be difficult, but everyone must contribute to make it work. And in my opinion, after the mergers, remote and disadvantaged areas should receive more attention.

Not only are we choosing the administrative center after the provincial merger, but we are also reorganizing at the commune level. With 4-5 communes being merged, the "commune-level administrative center" also needs to be reconsidered because this is the level that handles issues directly related to the people, sir?

We are in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and we must apply science and technology, digital transformation, and digitalization to all our activities. We shouldn't focus on proximity, because being close to one place means being far from another, and it's impossible to address all issues. Even at the commune level, the headquarters are quite modern, from the Party Committee and People's Committee to the cultural center and sports arena. So we must utilize what we already have, because building new centers is very expensive, and the country is still very poor. In the future, communes will be like "small districts," so the level of leadership must also be different, not the same as before.

Thank you very much, sir!

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/can-nhac-trong-lua-chon-trung-tam-hanh-chinh-sau-sap-nhap-10302121.html