Regulating population standards, area of provinces, cities, communes and wards from 1.1

On December 31, information from the National Assembly Office said that Politburo member and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man signed and issued a Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on standards for administrative units.

Accordingly, for the province, the resolution clearly states the standards for the population size of mountainous provinces from 900,000 people or more; the remaining provinces from 1.4 million people or more.

The natural area of a mountainous province is from 8,000 km2 or more; other provinces are from 5,000 km2 or more.

Regarding commune standards, the population of mountainous communes is 5,000 or more people; communes on islands are 2,500 or more people; the remaining communes are 16,000 or more people. The natural area of a mountainous commune is from 100 km2 or more; communes on islands are from 15 km2 or more; the remaining communes are from 30 km2 or more.

The Resolution also stipulates that the standards of rural administrative units have specific factors.

Commune with special difficulties in coastal areas confirmed by a decision of competent authorities, the minimum level of the population size standard shall be 50% of the level prescribed in Point c, Clause 1, Article 2 of this Resolution; other standards shall be implemented according to the provisions of this Section.

For the Red River Delta, the minimum level of the province's natural area standard is 50% of the prescribed level, for communes is 70% of the prescribed level; other standards are implemented according to the provisions of this Section.

Rural administrative units have many specific factors, so each standard can only apply a reduction level corresponding to a specific factor specified above.

Meanwhile, the city's standard is a population of 2.5 million people or more. Natural area from 2,500 km2 or more. The ratio of wards to the total number of commune-level administrative units is 30% or more. The urbanization rate is 45% or more.

The location and function are determined in the planning or orientation approved by competent authorities as a national or regional comprehensive center for economy, finance, culture, education, training, tourism, healthcare, science and technology, domestic and international traffic and exchange hub, playing a role in promoting the socio-economic development of the region or the whole country. Along with that, it has been recognized as a type I urban area.

In addition, the Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee also stipulates the project to establish, dissolve, merge, divide administrative units, adjust boundaries and rename administrative units.

The Resolution takes effect from January 1, 2026.

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