PM Pham Minh Chinh Chairs Meeting on Local Administration Reforms
Prime Minister's call for robust legislations reinforcing decentralization and authority transfer to local governance bodies
In the heart of Hanoi, PM Pham Minh Chinh convened a meeting over the weekend, focusing on revamping the country's local administration model by decreeing comprehensive decentralization and delegation of authority to local administrations across all areas. The ultimate goal? To empower localities to decide, implement, and take responsibility for their affairs.
The gathering brought together key members of the Government, ministries, sectors, and agencies. As the head of the Government Steering Committee for overseeing the implementation of the Party Central Committee's Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, PM Chinh stressed the importance of implementing the Politburo's directives to streamline and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the political system.
The meeting's focus was the decentralization, delegation of authority, and delineation of powers associated with the implementation of Vietnam's two-level local administration model. This model is set to revolutionize the nation's local governance structure.
PM Chinh underscored the need for institutionalizing the Party's viewpoints and policies on promoting decentralization and delegation, ensuring consistency and unity in the principles of delineating authority. The Government leader urged immediate action to develop decrees outlining these new structures and functions. While local authorities take priority, sectoral state management by field is also on the agenda, with clear definition of responsibilities between the central and local levels.
In addition, PM Chinh requested the creation of separate decrees for certain specialized sectors to further promote decentralization and delegation in state management for these sectors. Emphasizing the importance of quality and consistency, the Government will work closely with ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies to monitor and assess the rehearsed decrees before they are submitted for consideration.
Taking a pragmatic approach, PM Chinh urged against perfectionism and haste, encouraging a harmonious balance between refinement and timeliness. In an attempt to clarify the implications, let's delve a bit deeper into Vietnam's two-level local administration model and the associated decentralization and delegation of authority directives.
Two-Level Local Administration Model
Vietnam's overhauled local government structure consists of two main tiers:
- Provincial Level: Comprising provinces and centrally governed cities.
- Grassroots Level: Including communes, wards, and specially designated zones like islands.
The new structure eliminates district-level administrative units and significantly reduces the number of commune-level units. The move is set to create larger, more capable local units, with special zones incorporating strategic and geographically unique areas such as Van Don, Co To, Truong Sa, Hoang Sa, Phu Quoc, and more. These changes are backed by constitutional amendments and a revised Law on Local Government Organization, effective as of July 1, 2025.
Decentralization and Delegation of Authority
PM Pham Minh Chinh has prioritized comprehensive decentralization and delegation, aiming to empower local governments across all functions. The movement towards clear, consistent, and uniform decentralization aligns with modern national development requirements, fostering a potential move towards federalism-esque governance, featuring a strong central government alongside capable local governments with decentralized authority.
Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chairs the meeting on Saturday. - VNA/VNS Photo
Context and Goals
The reforms aim to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Vietnam's political system by providing local governments with greater autonomy and enabling them to govern effectively within their designated powers. Ultimately, these changes represent a significant step in improving local government responsiveness while maintaining central-local balance aligned with national development objectives.
In line with the meeting chaired by PM Pham Minh Chinh, the Government is working on developing decrees that will institutionalize the Party's viewpoints and policies on promoting decentralization and delegation. This is part of a broader move towards a two-level local administration model in Vietnam, where the ultimate goal is to empower localities to decide, implement, and take responsibility for their affairs, fostering a more efficient political system.
In the context of these reforms, the Government seeks to streamline and enhance the effectiveness of the political system by providing local governments with greater autonomy, aiming to improve local government responsiveness while maintaining a central-local balance aligned with national development objectives. This could potentially lead to a federalism-esque governance with a strong central government and capable local governments with decentralized authority, as outlined in the revised Law on Local Government Organization, effective as of July 1, 2025.
