Should temporarily stop building new offices

Temporarily halting the construction and renovation of district and commune-level offices is necessary to avoid waste, especially as the central government is planning to abolish the district level and merge provinces and communes.

The right decision

The Politburo 's Conclusion No. 127-KL/TW, issued on February 28, 2025, clearly stated that the study on the orientation of merging some provincial-level units, eliminating district-level units, and merging some commune-level units must be conducted objectively, democratically, scientifically, specifically, thoroughly, with a willingness to learn, and in accordance with the actual situation.

This policy will thoroughly address overlapping functions and responsibilities, fragmentation of geographical areas and sectors, and cumbersome intermediary organizations; ensuring smooth, effective, and efficient operation, enhancing the Party's leadership and governing role, and meeting the requirements of the new era.

Furthermore, Conclusion 127 requires that, in addition to population size and area, careful study of national master plans, regional plans, local plans, socio -economic development strategies, sectoral development, expansion of development space, leveraging comparative advantages, meeting development requirements for each locality, and the requirements and development orientations of the new period... should be conducted as a scientific basis for the arrangement.

Merging provinces and communes, and abolishing the district level, is a correct policy decision. (Illustrative image)

One of the issues that needs to be studied and calculated when implementing Conclusion 127 is that a considerable number of public offices will become redundant after the merger of provinces and communes and the elimination of the intermediate level (district level). Therefore, localities need to make very careful calculations.

In particular, some localities have already adopted policies and completed the necessary procedures according to regulations to prepare for the commencement of new construction, renovation, and repair of district-level offices and administrative centers. If not handled carefully, this could lead to unforeseen consequences such as wasted budget resources and the abandonment of multi-billion dollar projects.

However, the good news is that some provinces and cities have recognized this issue and have temporarily halted the construction and renovation of government offices to avoid waste and complications in the future handling of public assets.

For example, in Nghe An province, on February 25, 2025, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Thanh An directed agencies, organizations, units, and localities to review and temporarily suspend the implementation of new investment projects, repairs, renovations, and upgrades to the working offices of agencies, organizations, and units under the management of district-level administrative units, ensuring the practice of saving and preventing waste.

The overall perspective of the new administrative area project for Con Cuong district, with a total investment of 110 billion VND, has been temporarily suspended by Nghe An province.

For example, in Bac Kan province, on February 27th, the Provincial People's Committee issued an urgent document requesting districts and cities to temporarily suspend the implementation of new construction, repair, renovation, and upgrading projects for the working offices of district-level administrative agencies and units. This suspension applies to projects that have not yet commenced construction during the implementation of the plan for reforming and reorganizing the administrative apparatus. The suspension will last until the Provincial People's Committee issues further instructions.

The decision to temporarily halt the construction, renovation, and repair of district-level offices during the process of merging provinces and communes, and abolishing the district level, is a sound one, demonstrating rational planning in budget management and the use of public resources. This also helps to guide planning effectively, avoiding unnecessary public investment projects that could lead to significant waste, a problem many localities are currently facing.

Save money, avoid waste.

Once again, it can be affirmed that the policy of merging provincial and commune-level administrative units, and abolishing the district level, is a large part of the effort to streamline the state apparatus, improve management efficiency, and optimize resources. And let us all have faith in these correct decisions of the Central Government.

Returning to the issue of constructing and renovating district and commune-level offices; with the completion of the merger of provinces and communes, and the elimination of the district level, the number of administrative agencies will decrease significantly, leading to changes in the need for office space. If construction of new offices or renovations continues in this context, it is highly likely that after the merger is completed, many buildings will become redundant, underutilized, or abandoned.

Given the limited financial resources of the state, budget allocation needs to be rational and efficient. Temporarily suspending new construction or renovation projects for district and commune-level offices means cutting unnecessary spending and focusing resources on more urgent areas such as transportation infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and social welfare.

After the completion of the merger of provinces and communes, and the elimination of district-level administrative structures, localities will have a more comprehensive and accurate view of the actual needs of the administrative headquarters system. At that point, the construction of new or the upgrading of offices at all levels will be implemented based on regional and local planning, and socio-economic development strategies, avoiding fragmentation, piecemeal planning, and wasted budget resources.

The decision to temporarily suspend the construction, renovation, and repair of district and commune-level offices in the context of administrative unit mergers is a reasonable and necessary step. This not only helps save budget but also ensures that the planning and reorganization of the administrative apparatus proceeds smoothly, avoiding unnecessary waste.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chu-truong-bo-cap-huyen-sap-nhap-tinh-nen-tam-dung-xay-moi-cong-so-376577.html