On the morning of June 11, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra, authorized by the Prime Minister, presented the government’s proposal on provincial-level administrative restructuring for 2025.

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The National Assembly is set to vote on the provincial merger resolution on June 12. Photo: National Assembly

Based on the current status and future development directions of the 63 provinces and centrally governed cities, the government proposed 23 merger plans involving 52 administrative units. These will be consolidated into 23 new units, resulting in a post-merger structure of six centrally governed cities and 28 provinces.

Chairman of the Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs Hoang Thanh Tung affirmed the committee’s support for the plan, noting that all 23 proposed new units meet the required standards for land area and population size. The proposed plans align with Party directives and legal frameworks.

Tung stated that the proposal received extensive public consultation, with a high approval rate: on average, 96.19% of household representatives agreed, and 100% of People’s Councils at all levels endorsed the restructuring.

“This is the largest administrative reorganization ever undertaken, aimed at aligning with governance capacity, spatial development goals, economic restructuring, and resource integration for long-term national growth,” Tung emphasized.

Implementation timeline and staffing

The government proposed that the resolution take effect from July 1. However, the committee recommended activating the resolution immediately upon its adoption by the National Assembly to allow local governments time to prepare and implement the changes in sync with central planning.

The committee also urged the government to promptly direct ministries and local authorities to reorganize personnel, resolve financial and asset issues, and ensure that the new provincial governments are ready to operate by the proposed timeline.

Local authorities will need to prepare detailed action plans to manage the transition of functions and responsibilities from the district to provincial and commune levels after the mergers.

In addition, the resolution will acknowledge the historic role and contributions of provincial and district units that will be dissolved under the new plan.

Deputy National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh confirmed that the resolution is scheduled for a vote after tomorrow’s plenary discussion.

Provinces that will no longer exist by name after the merger

According to the government’s proposal, the following 29 provinces and cities will be merged and cease to exist under their current names:

Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Bac Kan, Vinh Phuc, Hoa Binh, Bac Giang, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan, Dak Nong, Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Bac Lieu, and Kien Giang.

The Vinh