The Commune People's Council decided to establish, reorganize, and rename villages and residential groups

The project to arrange villages and residential groups in 2026 is being promoted to streamline the apparatus, reduce focal points and improve management efficiency at the grassroots level.

The advice on arranging villages and residential groups nationwide, associated with the use of non-specialized personnel, will be completed in the second quarter of 2026.

Implementing local government at 2 levels, villages are organized in communes, special zones; residential groups are organized in wards. In case the special zone is recognized as urban type according to the provisions of law, the residential group is below the special zone.

In case of merging or adjusting communes and towns with wards to establish wards (new): Organize the unification of residential groups in wards (new).

In case of merging or adjusting towns with communes to establish communes (new): Organize the unification of villages in communes (new).

The Law on Organization of Local Government No. 72/2025/QH15 stipulates that the Commune People's Council (Commune-level People's Council) has the authority to establish, reorganize, dissolve, name, and change the name of villages and residential groups (point d, clause 2, Article 21). On that basis, the conversion of villages, residential groups and renaming of villages and residential groups due to name duplication at newly formed commune-level administrative units after arrangement shall be implemented as follows:

Regarding the conversion of villages into residential groups or residential groups into villages: The commune-level People's Committee (new) shall compile a list of villages that need to be converted into residential groups or a list of residential groups that need to be converted into villages and submit it to the People's Council of the same level for consideration and decision.

Regarding renaming villages and residential groups due to name duplication: The commune-level People's Committee (new) develops a plan, takes opinions from voters who are representatives of households in villages and residential groups, if more than 50% of voters representing households agree, the commune-level People's Committee completes the plan and submits it to the commune-level People's Council for consideration and decision.

In case provinces and cities have implemented the conversion of villages, residential groups or renamed villages, residential groups due to name duplication at commune-level administrative units (new) formed after the arrangement in 2025 before the Law on Organization of Local Government takes effect, they shall not re-implement the above contents.

Currently, many localities have developed plans to merge villages and residential groups, but are waiting for a unified legal framework from the Central Government before deploying them simultaneously.

In Hanoi City, the administrative reform plan for 2026 sets a goal to arrange villages and residential groups according to central direction.

In Quang Ngai province, this locality has been and is reviewing and consolidating the organizational structure, and at the same time requesting urgent arrangement of villages and residential groups associated with improving the quality of non-specialized staff.

In Khanh Hoa province, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan 1277/QD-UBND, assigning the task of reviewing villages and residential groups and arranging grassroots cadres.

In Ninh Binh province, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 257/QD-UBND assigning the Department of Home Affairs to develop a plan for arrangement and merger in April 2026.

In Nghe An province, this locality has issued Directive 07-CT/TU, requiring proactively building a merger plan, preparing personnel and creating social consensus.

In Lang Son province, the Provincial People's Committee has issued Plan 29/KH-UBND to implement the arrangement of villages and residential groups according to the roadmap.

According to the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the merger of villages and residential groups is expected to be strongly promoted in 2026, creating a stable foundation for the 2026-2030 period.

Article 7a of Circular 04/2012/TT-BNV (supplemented by Clause 5, Article 1 of Circular 14/2018/TT-BNV), clearly stipulates the conditions for merger, in which it is noteworthy:

Villages and residential groups with a scale of less than 50% of standard households are required to merge with adjacent units;

In case it reaches 50% or more, it can be merged if conditions are met;

It is necessary to consider geographical, cultural, and customary factors;

In particular, the merger plan must be approved by over 50% of voters or household representatives.

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