The speedboat from the mainland docked at Bai Vong port (Phu Quoc special zone), passengers dispersed along the pier, each carrying with them the sun, wind and salty taste of the sea. Amidst the bustling crowd, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung, 34 years old, a fruit trader from Tinh Bien commune to the island, said and laughed with her companion: "Going from Kien Giang to An Giang is no longer like going from one province to another."
Ms. Nhung said: “The general feeling of many of us is very excited, enthusiastic and hopeful when witnessing the historic moment when the two provinces officially merged into a provincial-level administrative unit named An Giang province according to the resolution of the National Assembly and the decision of the Central Government”.
A newly formed province with an area of nearly 10,000 km², a population of over 4.9 million people, 102 commune, ward and special zone units. A new position in the development space of the Mekong Delta.
From the moment the ship carrying Ms. Nhung arrived at Bai Vong Phu Quoc port, we began our journey back in time to understand why a new province was born and how the future of this land will be written.
Following the news all this time about the merger of An Giang and Kien Giang provinces into the new An Giang province, Mr. Nguyen Van Vi - a 65-year-old farmer, residing in Vinh Dieu commune, confided: "This time the two provinces are merged, I am very happy. I have lived here almost all my life, but to go to the market I go through Tinh Bien, to sell rice I go to Giang Thanh. Now that they are merged, everything is much easier."
Faced with this reality, Resolution No. 60-NQ/TW of the 11th Central Conference, Session XIII, issued on April 12, 2025, marked the Party's strong determination to rebuild the administrative unit system - a major shift in thinking about the state apparatus. Along with that, a series of key conclusions from the Politburo and the Secretariat such as Conclusions 126, 127, 130, 137... created a solid political and legal foundation for the merger of provinces and cities; including An Giang and Kien Giang.
The Government and the National Assembly urgently took action. Resolution No. 76/2025/UBTVQH15 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, Resolution No. 74/NQ-CP of the Government, the Law on Organization of Local Government, amended No. 65/2025/QH15... all joined forces to form a transparent roadmap, with calculations, impact assessments, and listening to opinions from the grassroots.
The local government and people of An Giang province were excited to participate in collecting voters' opinions on the merger of commune-level and provincial-level administrative units; at the same time, they eagerly took souvenir photos with the new logo of Chau Thanh commune (An Giang), demonstrating the spirit of solidarity and consensus, creating new momentum for local socio-economic development.
In Kien Giang and An Giang, voter consultations were held widely. From Tho Chau island commune to Vinh Xuong border area, from Rach Gia to Long Xuyen, many people were initially surprised, but then when they heard the explanation about the two-level government model, about the long-term benefits in management, investment, and governance, the voice of consensus became clearer and clearer.
Mr. Phuong Van Tan - Party Cell Secretary, Head of Binh Lac Hamlet, Chau Thanh Commune, recalled: “Voters asked me: If we merge, will our district still exist? I said the district level will be abolished, but the commune and province will still be maintained, but will be stronger, with fewer levels. When people heard about the simplicity, closeness to the people, and fewer procedures, they immediately nodded. When collecting public opinions, the people in the hamlet agreed very highly. An Giang and Kien Giang are both from the Western region, already close, now merging to become stronger together, to develop better, everyone is happy.”
From the experience of the previous generation of soldiers, Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Huynh Tri placed his trust in the armed forces of An Giang and Kien Giang provinces (old): "Comrades, please be steadfast in your political stance, clearly demonstrate the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers, absolutely obey the orders of superiors; be ready to undertake and complete well the assigned tasks. Distance, geographical difficulties, and work units are not big problems. We must always uphold the sense of responsibility of the heroic soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army, be ready to serve the Fatherland and the people."
Unification is no longer a story on paper but a story that goes into every field, every house, every border gate, every fishing port, every wharf...
And then, the new province of An Giang was decided to be established - not by administrative imposition but by a democratic, scientific, and correct process, connecting the Party's great policies and the practical aspirations of the people.
People from Chau Thanh and Vinh Binh communes were excited to do administrative procedures at the public administrative service center after the new commune was established; the national flag was hung brightly on the streets, welcoming the establishment of the new An Giang province, creating a joyful atmosphere and confidence in the development of the locality.
The results were clear when collecting voters' opinions, the voting results of the People's Councils at the commune level, the People's Councils at the district level, and the provincial level on the project to merge An Giang and Kien Giang provinces into An Giang province, many communes, wards, and towns had a consensus rate of 100%, the rest had a majority of 90% or more.
Interprovincial truck driver Duong Ngoc Hung, residing in Rach Gia Ward, stopped his truck at a stop on Highway 80 to rest while checking the order of seedlings transported from Rach Gia to An Giang. Mr. Hung said: “With the merger, transporting goods such as livestock, seedlings, specialty products, etc., will no longer require the trouble of completing interprovincial quarantine papers. Everything is simpler and faster, and taxes and inspections are also streamlined, saving a lot of time.”
Mr. Hung's words contain a great reality: The merger of two provinces is not to eliminate the old but to resonate, strengthen the trade flow, and reduce invisible barriers that have existed for many years.
Looking down from the top of Cam Son, the green fields connect the two provinces. Trucks carrying goods from Hon Dat to Tinh Bien, from Chau Doc to Ha Tien… have long considered that route as within the province. However, in terms of management, there are still many procedures, quarantine papers, and specialized inspections that are costly and troublesome.
“Now, wherever we go, we are all in the same province, so it’s easy. The car can go from the border to the sea without worrying about paperwork,” said Mr. Hung, as he tightened the rope tying the cargo, preparing to continue the trip.
An Giang's unique cultural festivals, such as the Ba Chua Xu festival on Sam Mountain, continue to be preserved and promoted after the merger of Kien Giang and An Giang provinces; along with that, people enthusiastically harvest rice in the country's largest rice granary and develop aquaculture, contributing to creating a strong driving force for the local socio-economy.
An Giang - the land of Hau River alluvium, of Bung Binh Thien, of spiritual festivals with cultural depth. This is the cradle of Hoa Hao Buddhism, of Tu An Hieu Nghia, where the festival of Ba Chua Xu of Sam Mountain is recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The sacred mountains, the villages of Cham, Khmer, Kinh people living together in harmony for generations have created a land of diversity, of multiple consciousnesses, but with a common atmosphere.
Kien Giang - the history of the ancient town of Ha Tien, of the poetry of Chieu Anh Cac, of the globally famous Phu Quoc island. This is the place where the sea, islands, and borders converge; the land opening up to the Southwest, the national key marine economic zone with places that have entered people's hearts such as Mac Cuu tomb, Nguyen Trung Truc temple, Phu Quoc prison...
Not only history and culture, but also economic structure, infrastructure connections, and trading habits are closely intertwined. Between the flooded land of the Long Xuyen quadrangle and the fertile Hau River, between the border lines with Cambodia stretching from Ha Tien to Vinh Xuong, both provinces once played a strategic role during the resistance war, and now continue to hold an important position in terms of national defense, security, border trade, and cross-border tourism.
Now, with the new An Giang province, all distances are shortened, all flows of goods, people, and services become seamless and unified. Naming An Giang is not only to preserve memories but also a choice to extend the value of the region, reducing paperwork and records for millions of people and businesses.
An Giang tourism will develop even more rapidly after the merger. In the photo: Tourists visit Vinpearl Safari, experience jet skiing in Ha Tien, check-in at Bai Truong and attend the Ba Chua Xu festival on Sam mountain, demonstrating the strong attraction of the new destination, rich in cultural and island potential.
The administrative and political center is located in Rach Gia ward, a vibrant coastal city that is both a gateway to the sea and a neutral point between the river region and the sea and islands. Not "moving" but "choosing" - choosing a suitable place to run a province with an area of nearly 10,000 km², a population of more than 4.9 million people, including 102 administrative units of communes, wards, and special zones.
At the end of the drawing class in primary school, teacher Nguyen Thi Ngoc Oanh - teacher at Nguyen Khuyen Primary School (Long Xuyen ward) took a large map and spread it on the table. She gently showed the students the border that once divided An Giang and Kien Giang.
“After June 30, this crease will no longer exist,” she said, her voice gentle. “Now we only have one province and our children are drawing a common future together,” she added.
She used colored pencils to draw connecting lines from Tinh Bien to Phu Quoc, from Long Xuyen to Rach Gia. Those connecting lines are not divided but connected, not folded but opened, like a message that the new is only truly solid when we understand, appreciate and preserve the old, to draw together a broader future.
That simple moment, which seemed like a simple drawing lesson, contained the great spirit of unity, not only erasing a fold on paper but also removing boundaries in the mind, connecting people and opening up new opportunities.
Over the past months, the two provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang have held many meetings, carefully preparing all aspects so that the new apparatus is ready to go into operation from July 1. In the photo: Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the An Giang Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Tien Hai inspects the facilities in Tan Hoi commune; Ms. Ngoc Oanh (red shirt) guides students on the new administrative map; officials inspect the machinery system ready to serve people coming to do administrative procedures; Party members participate in collecting opinions on the establishment of Phu Quoc special economic zone; doctors and nurses are always dedicated to taking care of people's health, ensuring no interruptions.
The process of reorganizing the apparatus was carried out urgently and quickly but not hastily. As soon as the Politburo issued the policy, the two provinces established a Joint Steering Committee and inter-provincial working groups to review all aspects of population, land, apparatus, finance, infrastructure, culture - society, etc.
Hundreds of meetings and conferences of cadres, party members, and people took place not to "get opinions for the sake of it" but to truly listen, discuss, and work together.
Three consistent principles: Maintaining political - administrative - social-psychological stability; respecting identity, looking towards the future; leaving no one behind, especially people in remote and border areas.
Vice President of the Farmers' Association of Kien Giang Province (now An Giang), Mr. Lam Quoc Toan said: "The Association carefully prepared the workplace and accommodation for 13 Farmers' Association officials from An Giang. The brothers took advantage of Saturday and Sunday to rearrange the space, fix the tables, chairs, and rooms, ensuring that colleagues would return to work in the best conditions. We see this as an opportunity to unite the team, improve resources, and improve the quality of support for farmers."
The People's Committee of An Giang province has arranged offices, housing and travel plans for thousands of officials to work in Rach Gia after the merger of An Giang province from July 1. More than 2,000 officials, civil servants, public employees and workers from An Giang province (old) need accommodation in Rach Gia ward. The province supports travel expenses, living expenses and accommodation, with the highest support level being up to 5.5 million VND/person/month.
The stories, the hands drawing maps or the night shifts of the cadres all show that the unification is not only about merging the boundaries but also a journey of connecting trust, responsibility and aspiration to build together a new province that is stronger, closer to the people and full of expectations.
CURRENT STATUS OF ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS BEFORE AND AFTER ROUTINEMENT
From the 2nd floor of the Vina Phu Quoc Travel office, Mr. Nguyen Vu Khac Huy - Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association, General Director of the company - opened last year's tour brochure, turned to the cover page with the words: "An Giang - Kien Giang Linked Tour: Experience two cultural regions, a colorful journey". Then Mr. Huy said: "In the future, we will no longer write "linked". Just write "An Giang tour" and customers will understand. This is a journey, a province, a seamless experience".
Having been involved in the tourism routes of the Western region for more than 15 years, Mr. Huy and his colleagues once designed a tour connecting Kien Giang and An Giang, but they were always faced with administrative barriers, loose promotion and lack of a unified regional brand. The merger of the two provinces, according to him, is a major institutional step to pave the way for the socio-economic development, especially the tourism industry, to develop sustainably, professionally and with greater stature.
“Tourists often do not distinguish between one province and another, but rather care about whether the experience is seamless and convenient. Now, with a unified province, the tourism industry can build longer products, more days, and make it easier to brand the region,” said Mr. Huy.
On the new map, An Giang province stretches from That Son mountain range to Phu Quoc island, embracing the border, sea, mangrove forests and diverse ethnic cultural ecosystems. Tourist routes will easily connect from the spiritual - ecological border areas (Chau Doc, Tinh Bien) to the cultural heritage - sea, islands (Ha Tien, Phu Quoc), creating a complete journey from spiritual depth to modern resort experience.
Travel businesses are starting to research new product packages, targeting the international market with the message: "Come to one province - experience three worlds" (border - plain - sea and islands).
When An Giang province was newly established, people had more favorable conditions for development and connection. In the photo: Vina Phu Quoc Travel Company guides tourists to visit the tourism product experience facility in Phu Quoc; leather shoe production at Thai Binh Kien Giang Joint Stock Company; An Giang farmers take care of durian gardens and raise fish in cages, contributing to diversifying livelihoods, increasing income, and promoting the local economy.
Meanwhile, other businesses have also taken the initiative to seize the opportunity. Ms. Chau Thi Nhu Thuy - owner of Hong Chau Yen specialty supermarket in Rach Gia ward said: "We are building a website to introduce An Giang specialties to expand the market. The supermarket name and signboard have been changed to match the new province. All for a common goal of developing together."
Not only the tourism industry, the arrangement of administrative units opens up great expectations for other fields: Traffic - logistics infrastructure is optimized, trade - services have the opportunity to expand the intra-provincial market, education - health are coordinated and managed synchronously, culture - sports have conditions to spread inter-regionally.
“The new province cannot produce immediate results, but what we see most clearly at this time is a spirit of new beginnings - from institutions to ways of thinking and doing. If the government creates a good policy corridor, tourism will be the pioneer industry to demonstrate the effectiveness of the merger because tourism goes first, paving the way for people's feelings and expectations about the new province,” said Mr. Huy.
Mr. Huy folded the brochure, the back cover had the words: “A journey - a new belief”…
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/an-giang-moi-khong-gian-lon-cho-khat-vong-lon-a423495.html
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