Mr. Hoang Hai Van, Director of the Organization and Personnel Department of the Ministry of Construction, shared at the Conference on Summing up the Year 2024 and Directions, Key Tasks, and Solutions for 2025, held on December 14, about the plan to merge the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Transport.
According to Mr. Hoang Hai Van, following the directive on streamlining and reorganizing the government, the Ministry of Construction has been working intensively with the Ministry of Transport over the past two weeks to develop a proposal for the merger of the two ministries.
The proposal for the merger is built on the principle of treating the two ministries as one entity, without distinguishing between “us” and “them.” This approach involves honestly evaluating overlapping functions and identifying areas of interconnection. As a result, bold and innovative suggestions have been made to restructure and consolidate the units within the ministries, aiming for a more streamlined and scientific structure that enhances operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Looking back at their history, the Ministry of Construction was established in 1958 and has been in operation for over 65 years, while the Ministry of Transport has an even longer legacy, dating back to 1945, making it nearly 80 years old.
Headquarters of the Ministry of Construction. Photo: The Anh
The names “Ministry of Construction” and “Ministry of Transport” have a long-standing presence and have been befitting of their respective functions and management roles in previous stages, intertwined with their historical development. It is anticipated that the merged ministry will be named the “Ministry of Construction and Transport.”
Before the merger, the two ministries had a total of 42 units, with 19 units in the Ministry of Construction and 23 units in the Ministry of Transport. The proposed restructuring plans aim to reduce the total number of units to between 25 and 27, which equates to a decrease of 35-40%. This includes 6 units in the advisory and synthesis block, approximately 14-16 units in the specialized block, and 5 units in the public service block.
Internally, the Ministry of Construction has made significant progress over the past 7 years in implementing Resolution 18. As a result, it now has 15 administrative units, having dissolved 2 administrative units; reduced the number of division-level units from 57 to 41, equivalent to a 19.3% decrease.
In 2019, the Ministry merged the Administration and Archives Office under the Ministry of Construction into a single unit and reduced the number of divisions in the Department of Housing and Real Estate Market Management from 9 to 6. It also eliminated all divisions within the Departments, specifically in the Finance and Planning Department and the Organization and Personnel Department.
The Ministry of Construction has transferred the management of 14 units to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs and local authorities. The Construction Hospital is now under the management of Hanoi National University, while the Viet Tri Construction Hospital and two Rehabilitation Centers have been transferred to local management. Additionally, the Southern Institute of Urban and Rural Planning has been merged into the National Institute of Urban and Rural Planning. As a result of these changes, the Ministry of Construction now has 18 public service units under its direct control.
