Proposal to handle people who provide incorrect information about province and city mergers

Kinhtedothi - The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior emphasized that all information regarding the plan for reorganizing the political system is currently under research and preparation and is being kept confidential. Therefore, anyone posting it online is violating regulations on protecting state secrets.

On November 27, Vu Dang Minh, Chief of Staff and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, affirmed that the information and images circulating on social media regarding the rearrangement and merger of provinces and cities in Vietnam are incorrect.

According to Mr. Vu Dang Ninh, the Ministry of Interior and relevant agencies are currently implementing the restructuring of the organizational apparatus towards a streamlined, effective, and efficient model, in accordance with the directives of the Politburo and General Secretary To Lam.

The 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam recently identified this as a particularly important task, a revolution in streamlining the organizational structure of the political system, requiring a very high degree of unity in understanding and action throughout the Party and the entire political system.

Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Interior Vu Dang Minh (photo: Chinhphu.vn)

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior emphasized that all information regarding the proposed organizational restructuring within the political system is currently under research and preparation and is being kept confidential. Therefore, anyone posting it online is violating regulations on protecting state secrets. Violators will be prosecuted according to the law.

“We have discussed this with the Ministry of Public Security and requested the cybersecurity agency to review and handle the dissemination of inaccurate information that affects public sentiment. On November 28th, the Ministry of Interior will send a document to the Ministry of Public Security requesting an investigation and handling of the person who disseminated that information,” Mr. Vu Dang Ninh informed.

Regarding this matter, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that, for the time being, the reorganization of the administrative apparatus will be implemented at the central level; the reorganization of provincial-level administrative units will be carried out later, and currently there is no plan to merge provinces and cities immediately.

Classifying administrative units helps local governments conveniently plan socio-economic development policies and organizational structures, as well as appropriate remuneration systems for officials and civil servants.

In summarizing the implementation of the Law on Organization of Local Government, the Ministry of Interior assessed that the classification of administrative units has helped local governments at all levels to conveniently plan socio-economic development policies and organizational structures, as well as appropriate regimes for officials and civil servants.

However, the administrative unit standards at all levels, as amended in 2022 since 2016, are no longer in line with reality. Many units still have small areas and low populations compared to the standards, making it difficult to streamline the administrative apparatus and reduce staffing levels at local government levels.

Resolution 18 of the Central Committee called for the gradual rearrangement, consolidation, and reorganization of district and commune-level administrative units that did not meet the standards prescribed by law; and encouraged mergers and expansion of administrative units at all levels in areas where conditions permit to improve management and operational capacity and strengthen local resources.

During the period 2019-2021, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued 48 resolutions to reorganize 21 district-level units and 1,056 commune-level units in 45 provinces and cities. As a result, the whole country reduced 8 district-level units and 561 commune-level units. This reorganization helped reduce 3,437 agencies at the commune level and 429 agencies at the district level, and saved 2,000 billion VND in state budget expenditures.

It is known that in early November 2024, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued resolutions on the reorganization of administrative units in the 2023-2025 period for 21 localities, including a total of 25 district-level administrative units and 756 commune-level units; resulting in a reduction of 7 district-level units and 373 commune-level units.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/de-nghi-xu-ly-nguoi-dua-thong-tin-khong-dung-ve-sap-nhap-tinh-thanh.html