Need a clear set of criteria when localities propose commune-level arrangements
Localities proactively proposing commune-level arrangements need to be accompanied by a clear and unified set of criteria to ensure accurate assessment of reality and avoid unfounded proposals.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is assigned to urgently develop documents guiding the arrangement of commune-level administrative units for localities that really have needs.
The above content is stated in Document No. 475/TB-VPCP announcing the conclusion of Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra at the meeting on the situation of task implementation in 8 months of 2026, directions, key tasks for the last months of 2026 and expected key tasks for 2027 of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
At a recent press conference of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Phan Trung Tuan - Director of the Department of Local Government - said: For units that do not meet the standards and criteria according to current regulations, localities should review and re-evaluate, and if really necessary, propose adjustments and arrangements.
An important requirement emphasized by Mr. Phan Trung Tuan is that the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the City Party Committee must be responsible for their proposals.
According to Dr. Doan Van Tinh - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Human Resource Management, Academy of Public Administration and Management, the shift in thinking from synchronous arrangement to decentralization and authorization for localities to proactively propose plans to adjust commune-level administrative units is an important step forward in both theory and practice.
This policy decision is not simply a purely administrative boundary adjustment operation, but in fact a process of expanding development space and optimizing local governance capacity. This brings benefits but also poses many challenges to be solved" - he assessed.
In terms of benefits, according to Mr. Tinh, proactiveness helps localities closely follow overall planning, natural conditions, population size and cultural and historical characteristics to design a suitable management space. This approach helps avoid forced mergers, limits the risk of dividing economic space or affecting sustainable community lifestyle.
At the same time, being the place that best understands the advantages as well as bottlenecks of the area, the Party Committee and local government when empowered will better promote the spirit of autonomy and responsibility to the people. More importantly, starting from the actual needs of the grassroots level will help the process of collecting people's opinions become substantive, creating consensus and proactive companionship from the people.
In the opposite direction, this approach also poses no small challenges. If there are no specific guidelines and appropriate control mechanisms, localities may develop a psychology of hesitation, avoiding arrangement, or vice versa, the proposal is not carefully considered.
In addition, when the pressure of appraisal and project development falls on localities, both provincial and commune levels must improve their capacity to analyze data and assess multi-dimensional impacts on economy, society, national defense, security and culture.
Finally, not implementing it simultaneously requires the Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to soon issue a set of clear framework guiding criteria, based on transparent data, ensuring uniformity nationwide" - Dr. Doan Van Tinh said.
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