The country has 11 special zones under provincial administration.

The entire country has established 11 special zones at the provincial level from 11 island districts (Van Don, Co To, Cat Hai, Truong Sa, Hoang Sa, Phu Quy, Kien Hai, Bach Long Vi, Con Co, Ly Son, Con Dao); and is studying the establishment of two more special zones: Phu Quoc and Tho Chau.

Decision No. 759/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister dated April 14th, approving the plan for rearranging and reorganizing administrative units at all levels and building a two-tiered local government organizational model, clearly outlines the plan for reorganizing commune-level administrative units.

Cat Ba Island.

Accordingly, based on the guidance of the Politburo and the Secretariat in Conclusion No. 127-KL/TW, Conclusion No. 130-KL/TW, and Resolution No. 60-NQ/TW of the 11th Conference of the Central Committee of the 13th Party Congress, the Government has thoroughly and comprehensively researched and refined the proposal with innovative thinking, thereby proposing the principles for organizing and reorganizing the current commune-level administrative units into new commune-level administrative units, as follows:

The current commune-level administrative units will be reorganized by eliminating the intermediate level (district level) and forming new commune-level administrative units, including communes, wards, and special zones (no longer including administrative units such as provincial cities, cities under centrally-governed cities, towns, districts, and townships).

After reorganization, the commune-level administrative units must ensure that the local government effectively manages the area, has a firm grasp of the situation, is close to the people, understands their needs, and serves them in the best possible way. In the case of reorganizing wards with other administrative units of the same level, the reorganized administrative unit will be a ward; in the case of reorganizing communes and towns, the new reorganized administrative unit will be a commune.

The current island districts and cities will be transformed into commune-level administrative units called special zones. Accordingly, 11 special zones will be established within the province from island districts (11 island districts, including: Vân Đồn, Cô Tô, Cát Hải, Trường Sa, Hoàng Sa, Phú Quý, Kiên Hải, Bạch Long Vĩ, Cồn Cỏ, Lý Sơn, and Côn Đảo). Specifically for Phú Quốc City in Kiên Giang province, the competent authority has agreed in principle to separate Thổ Châu commune from Phú Quốc City to establish a separate district, and studies will be conducted to establish two special zones: Phú Quốc and Thổ Châu.

In cases where the reorganization of commune-level administrative units results in changes to the administrative boundaries of district-level administrative units, the conditions and standards for adjusting the administrative boundaries of the district to which the commune-level administrative unit belongs do not need to be considered, and the procedures for adjusting these boundaries are not required.

Reorganization is not mandatory for commune-level administrative units that are isolated and have difficult transportation connections with adjacent administrative units, or those with particularly important locations affecting national defense, security, and the protection of national sovereignty.

The total number of commune and ward administrative units after reorganization will be reduced to approximately 60-70% of the current number of commune-level administrative units in the province or centrally-governed city; at the same time, it must ensure a reasonable balance, avoiding large disparities or gaps in natural area and population size between the newly reorganized communes and wards.

TS (compiled)

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/ca-nuoc-co-11-dac-khu-thuoc-tinh-postid416116.bbg