Thanh Hoa stops digitizing commune and ward names: Decision that satisfies people's wishes

Reasonable decision, in accordance with the people's wishes

According to the initial plan for the arrangement of commune-level administrative units of Thanh Hoa province, the locality will arrange from 547 communes, wards and towns down to 166 communes and wards; including 147 communes and 19 wards (reducing 381 communes, wards and towns).

For naming new communes and wards, many districts, towns, and even Thanh Hoa City have chosen the option of digitizing names, naming them mechanically as district-level names accompanied by serial numbers 1, 2, 3...

Voters give their opinions on the policy of merging communes in Thanh Hoa City. Photo: Phong Sac

This approach aims to simplify the administrative management process, but it has revealed many limitations, especially the lack of connection with the long-standing cultural and historical traditions of the locality. This plan has also encountered many opposing opinions from the public; many people believe that this digital name solution will lose its own identity, causing famous places and relics to gradually fade away.

For example, in Yen Truong commune, Yen Dinh district, on December 11, 1961, during his fourth visit to Thanh Hoa, President Ho Chi Minh visited and talked with Yen Truong Agricultural Cooperative - one of the units with outstanding achievements in the cooperative building movement of Thanh Hoa province and the whole country at that time.

By 1993, the Memorial Site of Uncle Ho's Visit to Yen Truong in Luu Khe village, Yen Truong commune was ranked as a national historical revolutionary relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Therefore, many local people expressed their concern and regret when a place named Yen Truong, associated with the memory of Uncle Ho's visit, will no longer exist, and will be replaced by Yen Dinh 2 commune according to the plan proposed by Yen Dinh district.

However, after that, in the process of listening and absorbing the opinions of the people as well as the suggestions of experts and voters, Thanh Hoa province officially changed the naming plan of the administrative units at the commune and ward levels after the merger in the whole province, including Yen Truong commune. This is a reasonable adjustment step, demonstrating the government's openness and receiving high consensus among the people.

A corner of the coastal commune of Ngu Loc, Hau Loc district. Photo: Quoc Huy

The above-mentioned popular decision is specified in Resolution No. 648 dated April 28, 2025 of the People's Council of Thanh Hoa province. In this Resolution, Thanh Hoa province decided to amend the names of 49 new commune-level administrative units (belonging to 9 districts, towns, and cities) with serial numbers such as Yen Dinh from 1 to 7, Hoang Hoa from 1 to 8, Nga Son from 1 to 6, Ngoc Lac from 1 to 6, Nghi Son from 1 to 10.

Instead, new names will be selected from famous landmarks, historical relics, etc. that have existed for a long time and are famous in each locality.

“We think that keeping the name Yen Truong is the right thing to do, very reasonable, and in line with the people’s wishes because this place was once visited by Uncle Ho because of the outstanding achievements of Yen Truong Agricultural Cooperative at that time. That is an honor that not every place has,” Mr. Ngo Van Thanh, a retired official in Yen Truong commune, shared with a reporter from Cong Thuong Newspaper.

"If you win the hearts of the people, you can do anything"

Naming new communes and wards with geographical locations and prioritizing cultural and historical factors not only helps people easily identify, attach to and be proud of their hometown names, but also contributes to preserving traditional values and affirming the unique identity of each region.

The fact that Thanh Hoa province has accepted and listened to the people clearly demonstrates that this locality is implementing administrative reform not simply by mechanically arranging the apparatus but also paying attention to cultural and historical factors as well as respecting the opinions of the people.

This decision received almost absolute consensus among the people and was assessed by the people as being consistent with the trend of naming places in other localities across the country.

Thanh Hoa's decision to choose the option of naming communes and wards associated with cultural and historical factors is a reasonable decision, pleasing to the people. Photo: Phong Sac

Like the teaching of President Ho Chi Minh: "If you win the hearts of the people, you can do anything, if you go against their will, you will have to run around here and there" (excerpt from the article "How long will it last?", published in Nhan Dan Newspaper, issue 122, early July 1953); if all decisions come from the interests and legitimate aspirations of the people, in the spirit of understanding, sharing, and caring for the thoughts and feelings of the people, then no matter how big or difficult the task, it will go smoothly and easily succeed.

On the contrary, if policies and guidelines go against the aspirations and legitimate interests of the people, no matter how well organized, managed, and implemented, they will encounter difficulties and even collapse.

In the context of Thanh Hoa striving to become a new growth pole in the North Central region and the whole country, the restructuring of the administrative apparatus along with the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural and historical values will be an important foundation for sustainable and harmonious development.

National Emblem

Source: https://congthuong.vn/thanh-hoa-bo-so-hoa-ten-xa-phuong-quyet-dinh-hop-long-dan-388037.html