From 63 to 34 provincial administrative units

That is the notable content of the draft submission of the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended).

The Ministry of Home Affairs is seeking comments on the draft Law on Organization of Local Government (amended). The draft Law states: The Law on Organization of Local Government 2025 (effective from March 1, 2025) has been comprehensively amended and supplemented to clearly define authority, promote decentralization, delegation, and authorization between central and local state agencies; between local government levels and overcome shortcomings, problems, and limitations in the implementation of the Law on Organization of Local Government 2015.

However, due to the regulations on administrative units (ADUs) and the local government organization model in the current Law on Organization of Local Government, which is designed at 3 levels (including: provincial level, district level and commune level), it is necessary to amend and supplement the regulations of the Law on Organization of Local Government to implement the 2-level local government model and the issues arising when converting from the 3-level local government model to the 2-level local government model is urgent.

This Ministry believes that it is necessary to fundamentally amend the regulations on the organization and operation of local governments to fully institutionalize the policies and orientations in the Party's Documents, Resolutions, Conclusions of the Politburo, Secretariat and to specify the provisions of the Constitution (after amendment) in order to convert the local government organization model from the current 3 levels (including: provincial level, district level and commune level) into 2 levels (including: provincial level and grassroots level), ensuring a streamlined, efficient, effective, and efficient apparatus and the unity and continuity of the state administration from the central to grassroots levels.

The Draft Law consists of 7 chapters and 49 articles (1 article less than Law No. 65/2025/QH15, including: 9 articles are kept, 3 articles are removed; 2 new articles are added; 35 articles are amended and supplemented).

After the rearrangement of administrative units, local government will include 2 levels (Photo: Quang Vinh)

Regarding amendments to regulations related to the organization of administrative units and the 2-level local government model, the draft Law amends and supplements regulations on the organization of administrative units and the 2-level local government model (including: provincial and grassroots levels, not organized at the district level) in accordance with urban, rural, island, and special economic administrative units.

In addition, reorganize current commune-level administrative units to form grassroots-level administrative units (including communes, wards and special zones on islands; abolish towns) with natural areas and population sizes reaching 300% or more of commune-level standards according to current regulations.

Special economic administrative units - maintained as currently regulated by the National Assembly.

The draft Law also stipulates that local authorities at provincial and grassroots levels both organize People's Councils and People's Committees. People's Councils operate under a collective regime, making decisions by majority; People's Committees operate under a collective regime, combined with promoting the responsibility of the People's Committee Chairman.

To consistently implement the principle of "local decision, local action, local responsibility", the draft Law stipulates that based on practical situations, provincial-level local authorities should promote decentralization and delegation of their tasks and powers to grassroots-level local authorities to improve the governance capacity of the grassroots level, enhance efficiency, effectiveness and efficiency in state management and promote local socio-economic development; In particular, it is necessary to promote decentralization and authorization to local ward authorities to manage and develop urban areas and urban economy, and to promote decentralization and authorization to local authorities of special zones to grant autonomy in state management in island areas, ensuring flexibility and proactive response when sudden and unexpected events and situations occur in order to firmly protect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country in seas and islands, promote the advantages and potential of the marine economy, integrate into the international economy, and ensure attracting people to live, protect and develop the islands.

To ensure that local authorities at all levels effectively perform their assigned tasks and powers, the draft Law has amended and supplemented regulations on the organizational structure of local authorities at provincial and grassroots levels.

Accordingly, for provincial-level local governments, the current regulations are basically maintained. The draft Law only increases the appropriate number of provincial-level People's Council delegates to match the merger of provincial-level administrative units (from 63 provincial-level administrative units to 34 provincial-level administrative units) and adds a provision that members of the Provincial People's Council Committee can be full-time delegates as prescribed by the National Assembly Standing Committee to inherit the provisions in the National Assembly's Resolutions on the organization of urban governments.

For local authorities at the grassroots level, the draft Law stipulates the organizational structure of the People's Council and People's Committee at the grassroots level (commune, ward, special zone) basically designed as for the People's Council and People's Committee at the district level (before dissolution) but on a smaller scale. Accordingly, the maximum number of delegates of the People's Council at the grassroots level is 40 delegates (except for communes with isolated locations that do not undergo reorganization and have a small population, it is basically kept the same as the provisions of the current Law); the People's Council at the grassroots level has 2 Committees: the Legal Committee and the Economic - Social Committee; the People's Committee at the grassroots level is allowed to organize specialized agencies with appropriate numbers.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/du-thao-luat-to-chuc-chinh-quyen-dia-phuong-tu-63-con-34-don-vi-hanh-chinh-cap-tinh-10302213.html