Reduce at least 20% of staff of provincial and commune-level mass organizations by 2026

The Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) has just issued guidelines on continuing to reorganize, streamline, and consolidate mass organizations assigned tasks by the Party and State at the provincial and communal levels.

Accordingly, the process of arrangement, streamlining and consolidation must ensure the legal rights and obligations of association organizations according to the provisions of law, ensure continuity and uninterrupted tasks and activities; arrange and streamline internal focal points of each organization, consolidate associations with similar functions, tasks, objects, nature and content of activities, improve the quality of activities of associations; ensure synchronization with the arrangement of the apparatus of the Party, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations according to the 2-level local government model.

Arrange associations according to new administrative units

Associations operating at the provincial and communal levels with the same name, field, and operating objects, when merged, will retain the name of the provincial or communal association according to the new administrative unit (for example, Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan provinces will merge and be named Thai Nguyen province, accordingly, Association A of Thai Nguyen province will merge with Association A of Bac Kan province and be named Association A of Thai Nguyen province).

In case this province or commune has an association, but the other province or commune does not have an association with the same name and field of activity, the following shall apply:

At provincial level:Associations operating in a province or city before the merger will continue to operate under the new administrative unit. For example: Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc provinces merge into Phu Tho province (new). If Hoa Binh province has association X (but Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc provinces do not have), association X will continue to operate under Phu Tho province (new).

At commune level:If the association's scope of operation is greater than or equal to 1/3 of the number of corresponding administrative units at the same level before the merger, the association shall continue to operate according to regulations and change its name to the new administrative unit. If the association's scope of operation is less than 1/3 of the number of corresponding administrative units at the same level before the merger, based on the actual situation, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the commune level shall preside over and coordinate with relevant parties, discuss with mass organizations, and propose to the Standing Committee of the Party Committee at the commune level to consider and decide whether the association continues to operate or not. If the association does not continue to operate, it shall dissolve itself according to Decree No. 126 dated October 8, 2024 of the Government.

Streamlining the internal organization of each association

The streamlining of the staff apparatus to assist in the implementation of all mass associations is assigned by the Party and the State. In particular, for merged provincial and commune-level localities, the streamlining of the staff apparatus to assist in the implementation will be carried out after the associations are arranged according to the new administrative units. The arrangement orientation is as follows:

At the provincial level:The Association of Journalists, the Association of Lawyers, the Red Cross, the Association of Writers, the Union of Science and Technology, the Union of Literature and Arts Associations, the Union of Friendship Organizations, the Union of Cooperatives, and the Bar Association shall arrange no more than two advisory and support departments (including a professional department and an office). Other associations shall arrange only an association office for general advisory and support.

At the commune level:Arranged under the direction of the Standing Committee of the Commune Party Committee.

For people working in organizations,This year, the current staff can be used. From 2026 onwards, based on the actual situation of the locality, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the provincial and communal levels will act as the focal point to synthesize and propose to the competent authority to consider and decide on the number of people working in the association organizations, but must reduce by at least 20%. In the following years, it will be implemented according to the direction of the competent authority.

On the unification of mass organizations assigned by the Party and State

Based on the practical situation, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee advises the Standing Committee of the Provincial and Municipal Party Committees to arrange and merge mass organizations with similar functions, tasks, objects, nature and content of activities according to one of two options.

Option 1:The Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front at the provincial level shall preside over and coordinate with the competent authorities to proactively develop a plan to arrange and merge mass organizations, and submit it to the Standing Committee of the provincial and municipal Party Committees for consideration and decision.

Option 2:Currently, the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Central organizations, and the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee are developing a Project to arrange, streamline, and consolidate mass organizations assigned by the Party and the State to submit to the competent authority for approval (to be completed before August 31). Accordingly, after August 31, provinces and cities can refer to the Central Project to develop a suitable plan to consolidate mass organizations.

Financially,In 2025, for state budget sources: use the budget sources according to the approved estimates for the Associations. From 2026, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the provincial and communal levels will take the lead in collecting and preparing estimates to submit to competent authorities for approval and allocation for the operation of mass organizations at the same level.

For the funds of mass organizations: Implement according to the provisions of Decree 126 dated October 8, 2024 of the Government.

For the assets of the association when merging, consolidating or ceasing operations:Comply with the provisions of Decree 126 dated October 8, 2024 of the Government, relevant legal provisions and instructions of local authorities and financial agencies when implementing arrangements and mergers.