Changes to the criteria for classifying administrative units after the merger.

This is a necessary step to implement the 2013 Constitution (amended), the Law on Organization of Local Government No. 72/2025/QH15, and to address shortcomings in current regulations to suit the practical situation after the reorganization of administrative units in 2025.

Major changes after the restructuring.

According to the Ministry of Interior, after the merger and reorganization of administrative units, the country has 34 provincial-level administrative units (6 cities and 28 provinces) and 3,321 commune-level administrative units (2,621 communes, 687 wards, and 13 special zones). The number and size of provincial-level and commune-level administrative units have changed significantly compared to before the reorganization (before June 2025).

At the provincial level, 29 administrative units have been reduced. The average natural area of ​​each province and city is 9,743 km², an increase of 85.3% compared to before. Of these, Lam Dong province now has the largest area in the country with 24,243.13 km², far surpassing Nghe An – previously the largest province.

The average provincial population also increased by 85.3%, reaching over 3.3 million people. Ho Chi Minh City is the most populous locality, with over 14.6 million people, an increase of nearly 4.7 million compared to before the reorganization.

Furthermore, the formation of "special zones" is a completely new type of administrative unit, falling outside the scope of Resolution No. 1211/2016/UBTVQH13.

These changes render the criteria, scoring system, and classification thresholds under Resolution 1211 unsuitable. Continuing to apply them would distort the assessment of the position, role, and development level of each locality, directly impacting policy planning, resource allocation, and the organization of the government apparatus.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the practical implementation of regulations on administrative unit classification in Resolution No. 1211/2025/UBTVQH15 (amended and supplemented by Resolution No. 27/2022/UBTVQH15) has revealed some shortcomings and limitations.

Firstly, the classification criteria system is biased, primarily focusing on area, population, and the number of subordinate units, which account for more than half of the total score. Meanwhile, indicators reflecting governance capacity, the level of digital transformation, administrative procedure reform, or labor productivity improvement have not received adequate attention. This leads to a situation where densely populated localities with large areas are often ranked highly, while smaller but dynamic localities with strong reforms struggle to improve their rankings.

Secondly, according to Resolution No. 1211/2016/UBTVQH13, the Prime Minister decides on the recognition of provincial-level classifications, the Minister of Home Affairs decides on district-level classifications, and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee decides on commune-level classifications. Furthermore, it requires People's Committees at all levels to prepare dossiers for submission to the People's Councils at the same level for approval before sending them to the competent authority, and then to undergo assessment by the central council. This leads to a multi-tiered process, wasting time and money, and does not clearly reflect the spirit of decentralization and delegation of power.

Thirdly, Resolution No. 1211/2016/UBTVQH13 only stipulates the classification of administrative units in cases of establishment, merger, division, and boundary adjustments, without establishing a mechanism for mandatory periodic review. This leads to a situation where many localities are "classified and then left as they are," maintaining their current classification for decades despite significant changes in population, socio-economic conditions, and governance capacity. As a result, the classification results no longer accurately reflect the reality, reducing their usefulness in policy planning and resource allocation, and failing to create incentives for local governments to reform and innovate.

Emphasizing its urgency, the Ministry of Interior stressed that the new Decree will be an important legal framework for localities to classify administrative units, thereby formulating socio-economic development policies, attracting investment, improving the quality and living conditions in administrative units, and building organizational structures, regimes, and policies for local government officials and civil servants in accordance with each type of administrative unit.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are special-category administrative units.

The Ministry of Interior stated that the draft Decree essentially inherits the administrative unit classification system that has been established and applied stably for a long time. Accordingly, except for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which are special administrative units as defined in the Law on Organization of Local Government, the remaining administrative units are classified into 3 types (Type I, Type II, Type III), implemented using a point system (below 60 points for Type III, from 60 to 75 points for Type II, and above 75 points for Type I).

However, the urban classification content for each type of administrative unit is adjusted to suit the viewpoints, principles, and practical context.

Specifically, for centrally-governed cities: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are special-type administrative units, while other centrally-governed cities are type I administrative units.

According to the Ministry of Interior, cities such as Hue, Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Can Tho have fully met the highest criteria regarding population, area, socio-economic development, infrastructure, finance, and governance. Classifying these cities as Category I ensures stability, transparency, reduces bureaucracy, and provides a legal basis for specific policies appropriate to their roles.

Add a dynamic element.

For provinces, the draft Decree stipulates that provinces are classified into 3 types (Type I, II, III) based on the total score of 5 groups of standards, specifically: Population size standard: maximum 20 points, minimum 10 points; Natural area standard: maximum 20 points, minimum 10 points; Number of subordinate administrative units standard: maximum 10 points, minimum 6 points; Socio-economic conditions standard (including 11 component criteria): maximum 40 points, minimum 18 points; Specific factors standard: maximum 10 points, minimum 0 points.

The criteria include: Balance of state budget revenue and expenditure; Proportion of industry, construction and services; Economic growth rate; Percentage of non-agricultural labor; Labor productivity growth rate; Per capita income; Percentage of people participating in social insurance; Percentage of poor households according to the multidimensional poverty standard; Percentage of rural population using clean water meeting standards; Percentage of households with internet connection; Percentage of administrative procedures processed through online public services.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the addition of "dynamic" indicators helps to classify localities not only based on population size and area but also to assess governance capacity, digital transformation, and administrative reform – factors that are increasingly decisive in determining the quality of local development.

For communes, the draft Decree stipulates that communes are classified into 3 types (Type I, II, III) based on the total score of 4 groups of standards, specifically: Population size standard: maximum 25 points, minimum 15 points; Natural area standard: maximum 25 points, minimum 15 points; Socio-economic conditions standard (including 7 component criteria): maximum 40 points, minimum 21 points; Specific factors standard: maximum 10 points, minimum 0 points.

Regarding wards, the draft decree stipulates that wards are classified into 3 types (Type I, II, III) based on the total score of 4 groups of standards, similar to those for communes, but with adjustments to the maximum and minimum levels of each criterion and standard to suit the specific characteristics of the ward in terms of population size, natural area, and socio-economic development level.

Regarding special zones, the draft decree stipulates that for special zones classified as urban areas, the classification standards of wards will apply, while for other cases, the classification standards of communes will apply; it also stipulates that the points for specific characteristics of special zones are 10 points (maximum).

Furthermore, the draft Decree stipulates priority points for administrative units with outstanding scale (provinces and communes with natural area exceeding 300% of the prescribed standard; wards with population exceeding 300% of the prescribed standard); administrative units located in particularly difficult areas; or administrative units identified as having a central position and role in the socio-economic development of the province/city or inter-commune/ward region. The provision of priority points (maximum 10 points) is a mechanism to ensure that administrative units with outstanding and crucial characteristics receive attention in terms of resource allocation for investment, development, and management.