Merging provinces: What principles should be used to choose names and administrative and political centers?

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Based on the practice of organizing administrative units at all levels in the past time and the positive results of the work of arranging administrative units at district and commune levels in the periods of 2019 - 2021 and 2023 - 2025, the Politburo and the Secretariat issued Conclusion No. 126-KL/TW dated February 14, 2025 and Conclusion No. 127-KL/TW dated February 28, 2025, which required "Researching the orientation of merging some provincial-level administrative units, not organizing at district level, merging some commune-level units; implementing a 2-level local model (party organization, government, mass organizations), ensuring streamlining, efficiency, effectiveness and efficiency".

Most recently, Official Dispatch No. 43-CV/BC dated March 20, 2025 of the Central Steering Committee on summarizing the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW stated: The Government Party Committee presides over and coordinates with the Central Organizing Committee and relevant agencies to receive opinions from localities, agencies, and units, complete the Submission and Project on reorganizing administrative units at all levels and building a model of organizing a 2-level local government to report to the Politburo before March 25, 2025.

Prioritize the arrangement of mountainous and plain administrative units with coastal administrative units.

The representative of the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the arrangement of administrative units at all levels, in addition to the criteria on natural area and population size as prescribed by law, needs to carefully consider the criteria on history, tradition, culture, ethnicity; location, geographical conditions; scale, level of socio-economic development; transport infrastructure, information technology, requirements to ensure national defense, security and international integration.

Set the highest goal of developing the country, expanding development space for new administrative units, promoting the leading role of dynamic regions, economic corridors, and growth poles; prioritize the arrangement of mountainous and delta administrative units with coastal administrative units; harmoniously and reasonably combine adjacent administrative units with development orientation requirements to support each other, together promote economic development of administrative units after arrangement and requirements, orientation for rapid and sustainable development of the country in the new period.

Along with that, ending the operation of district-level administrative units and rearranging and reorganizing commune-level administrative units, ensuring streamlining and reducing intermediate levels; building and consolidating strong grassroots local governments, close to the people, practically improving the material and spiritual life of the people.

According to the representative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the naming of provincial administrative units after the rearrangement must be carefully and thoroughly researched, carefully considering traditional, historical and cultural factors.

Prioritize using one of the names of the administrative units before the merger to name the new administrative unit to minimize the impact on people and businesses due to having to convert documents and geographical indications at the provincial level.

The name of the new administrative unit needs to be easily recognizable, concise, easy to read, easy to remember, promote the comparative advantages of the locality, and be consistent with the integration trend.

The Ministry of Home Affairs also requested local Party committees and authorities to unify awareness and be responsible for creating consensus among local people; contributing to preserving and promoting historical, traditional, cultural values ​​and the spirit of solidarity of the people towards the new administrative unit after the arrangement.

Ensure that provincial-level local governments quickly come into stable operation.

Regarding the principle of determining the administrative-political center, firstly, the administrative-political center of one of the current provincial-level administrative units is selected as the administrative-political center of the new administrative unit to ensure that the provincial-level local government quickly goes into stable operation.

Second, the administrative-political center of the new administrative unit has a favorable geographical location, synchronous economic-social infrastructure, especially a developed transportation system (airport, road, port, etc.), easily connecting with areas within the province, city and large urban areas, economic centers of the whole country or with the marine space system.

Third, the administrative-political center of the new administrative unit needs to have space for future development; be consistent with the socio-economic development orientation of the new administrative unit, ensure harmony and rationality, avoid imbalance between localities when merging, and ensure the maintenance of national defense and security.

Local Party committees and authorities need to unify awareness and be responsible for creating consensus among local people.

Regarding the criteria and orientation for arranging and merging provincial-level administrative units, based on research on the history of formation, development, and the process of arranging administrative units at all levels in Vietnam, the scientific basis for the elements constituting provincial-level administrative units, and international experience, the following 6 criteria are proposed: Natural area; Population size; Criteria on history, tradition, and national culture; Criteria on economic geography; Criteria on geopolitics; Criteria on national defense and security.

It is expected that after the arrangement, the number of provincial-level administrative units will be reduced by about 50% of the current total of 63 provinces and centrally-run cities.

Regarding the criteria and orientation for rearranging grassroots administrative units, based on the study of the history of formation, development, and the process of rearranging administrative units at all levels in our country, based on the scientific basis of the elements constituting provincial-level administrative units and international experience, the model of grassroots local government according to the new orientation, the criteria for grassroots administrative units are proposed as follows: Natural area; Population size; Criteria on: History, tradition, culture, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, customs, practices; Geographical location, geographical-natural conditions, sub-regional and provincial connectivity; Scale, level of economic development; National defense, security, politics, social order; Transport infrastructure and information technology.

It is expected that after the reorganization, the number of commune-level administrative units will decrease by about 70%, from the current 10,035 units to less than 3,000 grassroots administrative units.

Thu Giang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/sap-nhap-tinh-lua-chon-ten-goi-trung-tam-hanh-chinh-chinh-tri-theo-nguyen-tac-nao-102250325161300222.htm