Ho Chi Minh City has 6 districts slated for merger.

Districts 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and Phu Nhuan have an area of less than 7 square kilometers and a population of less than 300,000 people, and therefore do not meet the criteria for merger within the next three years.

This information was provided by Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Head of the Department of Government Building and Youth Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Internal Affairs, at a press conference on the socio-economic situation on the afternoon of August 3rd.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Head of the Department of Government Building and Youth Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Internal Affairs. Photo: *Thanh Nhan*

In addition to the 6 district-level units, the city also has 149 commune-level units that do not meet the population and area requirements and are also subject to restructuring. To date, the city has successfully restructured 7 of these units.

According to Consolidated Document No. 19/2023 of the National Assembly Office on administrative unit standards, a district-level administrative unit must have a population of 150,000 people, a natural area of 35 km2 or more, and at least 10 wards. In lowland areas, a county-level administrative unit must have a population of 120,000 people, an area of 450 km2 or more, and 13 or more communes or towns.

According to Government Resolution 117 of 2023, issued on July 30th, the administrative units subject to restructuring during the 2023-2025 period include three cases:

Firstly, district-level and commune-level administrative units have natural areas and population sizes below 70% of the standard; secondly, district-level administrative units have areas below 20% and populations below 200% of the standard; thirdly, commune-level administrative units have areas below 20% and populations below 300% of the standard.

A bird's-eye view of Ho Chi Minh City, with the Landmark 81 building, Vietnam's tallest structure, as a highlight. Photo: Quynh Tran — A bird's-eye view of Ho Chi Minh City, with the Landmark 81 building, Vietnam's tallest structure, as a highlight. Photo: *Quynh Tran*

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has 16 districts, 5 counties, and one city with 312 wards, communes, and towns. Of these, 21 district-level units and 223 commune-level units have met over 100% of the population standards.

Thus, the localities subject to reorganization are districts with an area of less than 7 km2 and a population of less than 300,000 people; and counties with a population of less than 240,000 people and an area of less than 90 km2.

Six districts have an area of less than 7 km2 and a permanent population of less than 300,000 people, including: District 3 (4.92 km2), District 4 (4.18 km2), District 5 (4.27 km2), District 10 (5.72 km2), District 11 (5.14 km2) and Phu Nhuan (4.88 km2).

Mr. Hieu stated that, according to Resolution 35, there are four special cases that are not subject to restructuring. Currently, the Department of Internal Affairs is coordinating with localities to review each commune, ward, and town to consider the specific factors for inclusion in the list of those not yet subject to restructuring.

From 1975 to the present, Ho Chi Minh City has undergone 7 administrative unit divisions and mergers, most recently the merger of Districts 2, 9, and Thu Duc into Thu Duc City and 19 wards at the end of 2020.

Le Tuyet

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