Ninh Binh arranges villages, hamlets, and residential groups, reducing more than 2,700 focal points

Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee has just issued an overall plan to rearrange and reorganize villages and residential groups in the province in 2026. This is a step to be consistent with the 2-level local government model, improve management efficiency at the grassroots level, and at the same time reduce focal points and restructure the team of non-specialized personnel.

According to the plan, Ninh Binh province currently has 4,482 villages and residential groups, including 3,259 villages and hamlets and 1,223 residential groups. Among them, many units have not ensured the criteria for household size according to new regulations.

Specifically, in 32 wards, there are currently 1,223 residential groups, with an average of 38 residential groups/ward. However, there are up to 1,106 residential groups with a scale of less than 550 households, accounting for more than 90%. In 97 communes, there are 3,259 villages, with an average of 33 villages/commune; of which most villages have a scale of less than 400 households.

After the arrangement, Ninh Binh province is expected to have 1,753 villages and residential groups, including 1,249 villages and 504 residential groups. Thus, the whole province reduces 2,729 villages and residential groups, equivalent to a decrease of 60.89% compared to the present.

Among 1,753 villages and residential groups after arrangement, 1,731 units meet the standards according to regulations, accounting for 98.75%. And 22 villages and residential groups do not meet the standards, accounting for 1.25%, due to specific factors in terrain, population, religion, culture or traffic and management conditions.

The plan also clearly states that 237 villages and residential groups are kept unchanged, not reorganized; of which 56 units are renamed. There are also 1,369 villages and residential groups that will be renamed after arrangement, and 384 units will keep one of the old names.

Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee requests that the arrangement process must ensure democracy, publicity, and transparency; maintain political stability, social order and safety; and prevent the emergence of hot spots and complex cases at the grassroots level.

Besides the advantages, the plan also points out some difficulties that may arise. Among them, a part of the population may be concerned due to long-term association with the name, boundaries, traditions and lifestyle of the old village and residential group. Some areas after the merger have larger household sizes, making the tasks of Party cell secretaries, village heads, residential group heads and grassroots titles heavier.

The naming of villages and residential groups is carried out simultaneously in the arrangement process. Localities can study using the name of one of the villages or residential groups before merging, or using the traditional name and place name of the old village or commune to limit the impact on personal papers and contact addresses of people and organizations.

People's Committees of communes and wards are responsible for developing plans to arrange villages and residential groups of the locality; organizing to collect people's opinions in accordance with regulations, and submitting them to the People's Councils at the same level for approval. The implementation must ensure publicity, transparency, and create high consensus in the implementation process.

To limit the impact in the arrangement process, Ninh Binh province requests Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations to promote propaganda and clearly explain the purpose and meaning of the arrangement. The focus is to clarify that this is not only to reduce the number of focal points, but also to improve the efficiency of serving the people, increase the quality of community governance and create conditions to increase allowances for grassroots staff.

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