The Ministry of Home Affairs’ leadership has refuted claims that Vietnam plans to consolidate its current 34 provinces and cities into 16 in the near future. (Photo: Nhựt An/TTXVN)
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In response to social media rumors about further mergers reducing Vietnam’s 34 provinces and cities to 16, the Ministry of Home Affairs has confirmed these claims are unfounded.
According to Phan Trung Tuấn, Director of the Local Government Department (Ministry of Home Affairs), there are no current plans by the Party, National Assembly, or Government to continue consolidating provinces, cities, or commune-level administrative units. The rumored reduction from 34 to 16 provinces is entirely inaccurate.
Beyond streamlining organizational structures, reducing staff, and cutting administrative costs, the administrative reorganization initiated in early 2025 aims to create new development opportunities for localities and ensure long-term stability of the administrative system. Phan Trung Tuấn emphasized that these major policies were thoroughly researched and considered by the Party, National Assembly, and Government before implementation.
“As of July 1, with the entire political system’s commitment, the two-tier local government model (provincial and commune/ward levels) is now operational nationwide. Vietnam has 34 provinces/cities and 3,321 communes, wards, and special zones,” stated the Director of the Local Government Department.
Phan Trung Tuấn added that the Ministry of Home Affairs is drafting a decree to guide public consultation on establishing, dissolving, merging, dividing, adjusting boundaries, and renaming administrative units, replacing Decree No. 54/2018/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 66/2023/NĐ-CP. The draft does not include an appendix listing a merger from 34 to 16 provinces, contrary to social media claims.
This decree aligns with the Law on Local Government Organization No. 72/2025/QH15 and the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1589/QĐ-TTg, which outlines the implementation plan for the Law on Local Government Organization No. 72/2025/QH15.
Phan Trung Tuấn noted that the Law on Local Government Organization fundamentally changes Vietnam’s administrative structure to a two-tier system: provinces/centrally-governed cities (provincial level) and communes, wards, and special zones (commune level). This eliminates the district level and introduces special zones at the commune level.
However, Decree No. 54/2018/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 66/2023/NĐ-CP, designed for a three-tier model (province-district-commune), are no longer applicable. A new government decree is necessary to provide specific guidance.
The new decree will guide public consultation for routine cases of establishing, dissolving, merging, dividing, and adjusting administrative unit boundaries.
Phan Trung Tuấn explained that new regulations will apply when rural communes meet urban criteria to become wards, or when boundary adjustments are necessary due to geological changes or socioeconomic development. These adjustments are not part of a broader administrative consolidation, contrary to recent misinformation on social media.
Hồng Kiều
– 09:39 17/11/2025
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