Nha Trang City: Proposal to merge some wards

Nha Trang City People's Committee is planning to propose to the Provincial People's Committee a plan to arrange commune-level administrative units in the 2023-2025 period, in the direction that in 2024, the city will have only 22 commune-level administrative units, reducing 5 wards compared to the present. Mr. Nguyen Sy Khanh - Chairman of Nha Trang City People's Committee answered an interview with Khanh Hoa Newspaper.

Mr. Nguyen Sy Khanh - Chairman of Nha Trang City People's Committee.

Proposed reduction to 22 administrative units

- Sir, in the proposed arrangement of commune-level administrative units for the period 2023-2025, what general principles does the Nha Trang City People's Committee propose?

- The City People's Committee plans to propose the arrangement of commune-level administrative units for the 2023-2025 period in the spirit of ensuring compliance with all regulations of the Central Government and the province, based on Resolution No. 35, dated July 12, 2023 of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the arrangement of district-level and commune-level administrative units for the 2023-2030 period. The administrative units proposed for arrangement all have a natural area of less than 20%, a population size of less than 300% of the regulations, and are adjacent administrative units. In particular, the proposed arrangement must closely follow Decision No. 318, dated March 29, 2023 of the Prime Minister approving the Planning of Khanh Hoa province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050; Resolution No. 12, dated September 30, 2021 of the City Party Executive Committee on the Urban Development Program of Nha Trang City for the period 2021 - 2025 and orientation to 2030; Resolution No. 163, dated September 30, 2021 of the Nha Trang City People's Council on the Urban Development Program of Nha Trang City for the period 2021 - 2025 with orientation to 2030. Thereby, determining the goal of building Nha Trang into a political , economic and cultural center of Khanh Hoa province, a center of science and technology, education - training and services of the South Central Coast and Central Highlands regions..., contributing to building Khanh Hoa province into a centrally-run city, in which Nha Trang City is the core city in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 09 of the Politburo on building and developing Khanh Hoa province to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

- According to the city's proposal, how will the commune-level administrative units change after the arrangement, sir?

- Currently, Nha Trang City has 27 commune-level administrative units, including 19 wards and 8 communes. The city plans to propose to the province that, in the period of 2023 - 2025, 12 commune-level administrative units will be reorganized, including: 10 wards (Tan Lap, Phuong Son, Phuong Sai, Van Thang, Vinh Tho, Xuong Huan, Van Thanh, Phuoc Tien, Phuoc Tan, Phuoc Hoa) and 2 communes (Vinh Hiep, Vinh Thanh). Of which, Phuoc Hoa and Vinh Tho wards are subject to reorganization but due to special factors, it is expected to propose not to be reorganized; Xuong Huan and Tan Lap wards are recommended to be reorganized. With this proposed plan, after the reorganization, Nha Trang City will have 22 administrative units (including 14 wards and 8 communes), a reduction of 5 wards.

For administrative units subject to rearrangement, the city plans to propose merging the natural area and population size of Phuong Son ward into Phuong Sai ward; merging the natural area and population size of 3 wards: Xuong Huan, Van Thanh, Van Thang; 3 wards: Phuoc Tien, Phuoc Tan, Tan Lap. These are wards with a natural area of less than 20% and a population size of less than 300% of the regulations, must be rearranged in the period of 2023 - 2025 and are adjacent administrative units; people have similar living habits. Wards: Xuong Huan, Tan Lap are encouraged to be rearranged.

A corner of Nha Trang City. Photo: Vuong Manh Cuong

The proposed plan does not yet arrange some wards and communes.

- It is known that in the period of 2023-2025, the City People's Committee plans to propose not to arrange the 2 wards of Vinh Tho, Phuoc Hoa and the 2 communes of Vinh Hiep, Vinh Thanh even though they are subject to merger according to regulations. Could you please tell us the reason?

- According to the provisions of Point c, Clause 1, Article 3 of Resolution No. 35, it is not mandatory to arrange administrative units "with important positions in terms of national defense and security or with characteristics of historical traditions, culture, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, customs and practices that, if arranged with another adjacent administrative unit, will lead to instability in terms of national defense, security, order and social safety".

Vinh Tho Ward is one of 11 communes and wards on the list of key national defense areas in Nha Trang City. If Phuoc Hoa Ward merges with Phuoc Hai Ward, it will have a population of 43,689 people, reaching 624% of the standard; and if merged with Vinh Nguyen Ward, it will have a population of 41,402 people, reaching 591% of the standard. In the ward, most of the land area belongs to the old airport area managed by the Air Force Officer School (under the Ministry of National Defense), so it is difficult to arrange. Phuoc Hoa is also one of the central wards of the city, will receive most of the land area from the old airport area (planned into international-class commercial, service and tourism urban areas), so there is still a lot of room for development, will attract a large number of residents, the expected population size by 2030 will reach over 21,000 people (over 300% of the standard). Therefore, the City People's Committee plans to propose not to merge these two wards with adjacent administrative units.

For the two communes of Vinh Hiep and Vinh Thanh, the city has currently developed a Project to adjust the General Planning of Nha Trang City to 2040 and submitted it to the Ministry of Construction and the Prime Minister for appraisal and approval. In particular, the orientation to 2030 is to focus on upgrading communes to meet the standards for establishing wards (including the two communes of Vinh Hiep and Vinh Thanh); achieving an urbanization rate of 95%. Therefore, the city also plans to propose not to arrange the above two communes in this period.

However, with the above proposed plan, the city still has 3 commune-level administrative units formed after the arrangement but not meeting the standards on natural area and population size, which are the administrative unit merged from 2 wards Phuong Son and Phuong Sai; the administrative unit merged from 3 wards Xuong Huan, Van Thanh, Van Thang; the administrative unit merged from 3 wards Phuoc Tien, Phuoc Tan, Tan Lap.

Regarding the administrative unit merged from the two wards of Phuong Son and Phuong Sai, some wards adjacent to Phuong Sai have merged with other wards; if it continues to merge with Phuoc Hai and Ngoc Hiep wards, the population after the merger will be too large. In addition, the place name Phuong Sai was formed before 1945 from the residential area along the Kim Bong River, one of the five ancient villages of Nha Trang town in the past (including Xuong Huan, Phuong Cau, Van Thanh, Phuong Sai, Phuoc Hai). By 1976, Phuong Sai was divided into two wards: Phuong Son and Phuong Sai. People in these two localities have similar cultures and living habits. If it merges with other localities, there will be more or less cultural conflicts, causing difficulties for state management in the locality.

For the administrative unit merged from 3 wards of Xuong Huan, Van Thanh, Van Thang and from 3 wards of Phuoc Tien, Phuoc Tan, Tan Lap, according to regulations, if merged from 3 administrative units, the population and area standards will not apply.

Proposed arrangement expected to be completed in 2024

- How does the city plan to propose the arrangement roadmap, sir?

- The city plans to propose that in 2024, it will complete the arrangement of commune-level administrative units for the period 2023 - 2025, focusing on resolving the regimes and policies for redundant cadres and civil servants; arranging and perfecting the organizational apparatus, arranging the staff of cadres and civil servants; rearranging and handling headquarters and public assets; withdrawing old seals, carving new seals, converting related documents due to changes in boundaries and names of administrative units implementing the arrangement; implementing special regimes and policies (if any) in commune-level administrative units formed after the arrangement.

In 2025, it is expected to propose to organize the Party Congress at the commune level for the 2025 - 2030 term according to the new administrative unit after the rearrangement; at the same time, continue to resolve the redundant regimes and policies and the redundant people after the congress in the commune-level administrative units formed after the rearrangement; focus on rearranging and handling the headquarters and public assets of agencies, organizations and units in the commune-level administrative units implementing the rearrangement; complete the conversion of related documents due to changes in boundaries and names of the commune-level administrative units implementing the rearrangement; continue to implement special regimes and policies (if any) in the administrative units formed after the rearrangement; establish new, edit and supplement records and maps of administrative unit boundaries at all levels; summarize the rearrangement of commune-level administrative units in the period of 2023 - 2025.

Thank you!

TIEU MAI (Implementation)

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