Việt Nam 2025: Redrawing the Administrative Map at Breakneck Speed

In 2025, “merger” became one of the most defining keywords in Việt Nam. It appeared everywhere: from the consolidation of ministries and media organizations to the merging of schools and hospitals. [1][2][3]

However, the most significant shift was the merger of provinces and centrally governed cities—a move state media described as an effort to “rearrange the national landscape.” [4] On July 1, 2025, Việt Nam entered a new era, officially operating under a two-tier system of local government that reduced the number of provinces and cities from 63 to 34. [5]

A Breakneck Provincial Merger in Just Over Four Months

The path to restructuring began on Jan. 24, 2025, when the Central Committee of the Communist Party issued Conclusion No. 121-KL/TW. While it did not explicitly mention merging provinces, it reaffirmed the policy of streamlining the political apparatus, serving as the foundation for what was to come. [6][7]

On Feb. 14, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 126-KL/TW, initiating the plan to eliminate the district level and complete the restructuring within the year. [8] 

Just five days later, the 15th National Assembly passed the 2025 Law on the Organization of Local Government (No. 72/2025/QH15), which took effect on March 1. [9][10] This law, alongside other amendments passed during the ninth extraordinary session, redefined the local government system and established procedures for merging administrative units in line with Central Resolution No. 18/2017. [11][12][13] 

On Feb. 28, the Politburo and the Secretariat issued Conclusion No. 127-KL/TW, establishing a detailed roadmap for implementing Conclusion No. 126. [14] This document mandated that provincial merger proposals be submitted to the Central Committee by April 7, 2025. Concurrently, a comprehensive review of regulations, state laws, and the 2013 Constitution was ordered.

The National Assembly’s Party Committee, in coordination with the Government’s Party Committee, was assigned to lead this effort. Specifically, amendments to the 2013 Constitution regarding the political apparatus were required to be completed by June 30.

As the restructuring accelerated, political analysis intensified. On March 4, in an article published by RFA, Trần Hiếu Chân argued that the administrative restructuring aimed to consolidate the power of Tô Lâm. [15]

Meanwhile, the government focused on constitutional amendments and implementation. On March 10, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn emphasized that amending the 2013 Constitution was a priority, a stance backed by Politburo Conclusion No. 129 and Government Official Dispatch No. 1910. [16][17][18]

By March 11, the Government proposed cutting provincial units by 50 percent, and on March 14, the Politburo finalized the two-tier model: provincial and grassroots. While the official number of new provinces was finalized but undisclosed, unofficial leaks suggesting a reduction to 32–34 units circulated online. [19][20][21]

Tensions rose mid-month. On March 18, Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà announced that mergers were expected to be completed before Aug. 30. [22] The following day, March 19, Dr. Tô Văn Trường warned in Báo Tin tức that effective implementation required a reasonable roadmap.

In the article, he argued that “for this policy to be implemented effectively in practice, there must be a reasonable roadmap and solutions suited to the characteristics of each locality, and above all, a balance of people’s interests must be ensured.” He warned that if provincial mergers were carried out without caution, they could lead to undesirable disruptions that affect stability and sustainable development. [23][24]

Despite these warnings, the Central Steering Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 43-CV/BCĐ on March 20, mandating that the National Assembly pass the merger resolution by June 30. [25]

On March 21, the public dissatisfaction culminated in a viral open letter from Facebook user Thành Nguyễn to General Secretary Tô Lâm. [26] He wrote, “When major decisions are made, people always hope to be heard, especially on issues that directly affect their homeland. The naming of new provinces should have involved a broad consultation process, but instead, the leaked list looked like a foregone conclusion. This made many people feel excluded, with no voice in an important change.”

Finally, on March 28, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 137-KL/TW, officially settling on 34 provincial-level units—a decision state media would not publish until mid-April. [27][28]

The reorganization framework was solidified on April 12, when the Central Committee adopted Resolution No. 60 and proposed the new names of the 34 provinces and cities after the merger. [29][30] General Secretary Tô Lâm declared the plan was guided by a vision of at least 100 years. The resolution confirmed the two-tier model (province and commune) and set the final count at 34 provinces and cities, leaving only 11 units unmerged. It also established a strict deadline: the revised Constitution was to take effect by July 1.

Prior to the official release, leaked rumors regarding naming schemes circulated on social media, which ultimately proved accurate.

On April 14, the Central Steering Committee issued Plan No. 47-KH/BCĐ, extending the timeline through Sept. 15, while the National Assembly Standing Committee issued Resolution No. 76/2025. [31][32][33] Taking effect on April 15, Resolution No. 76 replaced previous regulations—35/2023 and 50/2024— and added additional criteria for dividing administrative boundaries: [34][35]

• After reorganization, provincial-level administrative units must meet standards for land area and population size. In cases where a reorganized province is moving toward becoming a centrally governed city, it must mostly meet the needed standards for approval. 
• The name of a merged province must be taken from one of the pre-merger administrative units.

This naming rule triggered immediate backlash during public consultation. [36] On April 15, Dr. Nguyễn Xuân Diện proposed via Facebook that names should be combined (e.g., “Hà Nam Ninh”) rather than erased. [37] Widespread outrage followed, particularly among residents of Thái Bình, who fiercely objected to their province being subsumed under the name Hưng Yên.

Responding to the unrest on April 16, General Secretary Tô Lâm stated, “the country is our homeland, and we must overcome regionalist psychology.” [38]

Despite the online fervor, Báo Chính phủ reported on May 9 that public approval for the merger had reached nearly 96 percent. [43]

The legislative process concluded at the National Assembly’s ninth session, which opened on May 5. [39] Between then and June 27, the Assembly passed 34 laws under expedited procedures. This included promulgating the 2025 Law on the Organization of Local Government (No. 72/2025/QH15), which replaced Law No. 65/2025/QH15 just months after the latter’s passage. [40][41][42]

Meanwhile, practical concerns emerged. On May 21, Tăng Chí Thượng, Director of the Department of Health of Hồ Chí Minh City, warned of hospital overloads following the confirmed merger of Hồ Chí Minh City with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu. [44]

On June 11, Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà presented the final logistics to the National Assembly. Addressing the 52 provinces and cities slated for merger, she detailed a massive workforce of 447,657 individuals—comprising 2,321 cadres, 79,118 civil servants, and 366,218 public employees. [45][46] Regarding infrastructure, the plan retained 33,956 provincial-level public offices, identifying 4,226 facilities as surplus. Despite earlier public outcry, the Minister insisted that consensus for the plan exceeded 96 percent. [47]

The following day, June 12, the National Assembly codified the merger with a 99.1 percent approval rate. [48] Effective immediately, the resolution upheld the following: 

• The country was reduced to 34 provincial-level administrative units, comprising 28 provinces and six cities.
• 52 existing units were consolidated into 19 new provinces and four new cities. Only 11 localities remained unmerged, including Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Quảng Ninh, Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Hà Nội, and Huế.
• Local governments in the newly formed provinces and cities would officially begin operations on July 1, while pre-merger local governments would continue functioning until then.

With the legal framework in place, the leadership moved to unify the narrative. On June 15, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính declared: “The country is our homeland. Whether 63 provinces or 34 provinces, it is still our country, our homeland. Therefore, we must fight to eliminate all prejudices for the sake of common development.” [49]

The transition culminated on June 30, when localities nationwide simultaneously announced the relevant resolutions and personnel arrangements. [50] On July 1, the transformation was complete: Việt Nam officially began operating its two-tier local government system, comprising just 34 provinces and cities. [51]

The Post-merger Picture

Barely two weeks into the new system citizens and businesses faced numerous administrative obstacles. [52] A lack of synchronization between enterprise data and the electronic tax portal (eTax) left many businesses unable to file taxes due to incorrect addresses and outdated information. [53] The consolidation of offices also disrupted lives, forcing many civil servants to wake up as early as 4–5 a.m. to commute hundreds of kilometers. [54] Residents, too, found themselves traveling dozens of kilometers just to access basic public services.

Hồ Chí Minh City—now a mega-city of nearly 14 million people and 6,700 square kilometers following its merger with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu—became a focal point of these challenges. On August 4, Chairman Nguyễn Văn Được announced a pilot “non-boundary-based” model to allow administrative processing at any ward. [55] However, by Aug. 9, the city’s Department of Home Affairs still reported chronic work overload among officials. [56]

The new system faced its first environmental test in October and November, when storms and floods hit the northern and central regions. The disaster response drew public criticism, particularly regarding the reduced capacity of grassroots authorities. [62] Authorities, however, dismissed these concerns as “distorted narratives.” [63]

Infrastructure issues also persisted. While the Ministry of Home Affairs had previously identified approximately 4,226 surplus public offices, most localities continued using old facilities because the new administrative centers were inadequate. [59][60]

To address this, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 202 on Oct. 31. [58] This was followed on Nov. 11 by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s Official Telegram No. 213/CĐ-TTg, which ordered localities to accelerate the repurposing of surplus assets for education, healthcare, and police use. [57] Finally, on Nov. 27, the Ministry of Finance issued Official Dispatch No. 18430/BTC-QLCS, urging faster resolution of land and building management issues. [61]

Paving the Way for Future Mergers?

On Nov. 10, state media reported that the Ministry of Home Affairs was soliciting public opinions on a draft decree regarding the establishment, dissolution, merger, division, boundary adjustment, and renaming of administrative units. [64] Notably, the draft required a minimum approval threshold of more than 50 percent of participating households. If this threshold was not met, no decision would be issued, in accordance with the Law on the Implementation of Grassroots Democracy.

The draft’s release immediately sparked suspicions in online communities that the government was preparing for another round of provincial mergers. However, on Nov. 17, Phan Trung Tuấn, Director of the Department of Local Government at the Ministry of Home Affairs, dismissed these rumors as “false and inaccurate.” [65]

Tuấn stated that the state had no policy to continue merging administrative units and clarified that the draft contained no appendix related to reducing the number of provinces from 34 to 16. He explained that the decree was drafted to align with the 2025 Law on the Organization of Local Government and to replace decrees from 2018 and 2023. He emphasized that recent provincial mergers were carefully considered measures aimed at long-term stability.

On Dec. 16, the Government officially issued Decree No. 321/2025/NĐ-CP guiding these public consultations. [66] The decree took effect immediately. From that date onward, administrative adjustments require approval from more than 50 percent of households. Public consultations must be conducted within 60 days, utilizing either direct ballots or online platforms such as portals and VNeID.

Trường An wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on Dec. 23, 2025. Đàm Vĩnh Hằng translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.