During a press conference on June 18, Nguyen Huu Thanh, Deputy Director of the Local Government Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, announced that all 34 provinces and cities in Vietnam have completed their comprehensive plans for restructuring villages and neighborhood groups. These plans are now being reviewed by the public as required by regulations.

According to Thanh, non-professional personnel who are redundant following the restructuring will be addressed under Decree 154, which pertains to downsizing the workforce. For those who will continue in their roles, local authorities are implementing a mechanism for allowances that ensures support is appropriate to each position and the actual conditions on the ground.

As of the end of 2021, Vietnam had over 90,000 villages and neighborhood groups, comprising approximately 69,500 villages and 20,900 neighborhood groups, with nearly 298,000 individuals engaged in non-professional roles. The government’s Decree 185/2026 stipulates that villages in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City must have at least 500 households, while neighborhood groups must have a minimum of 700 households. This marks an increase of 200 households for villages and 250 for neighborhood groups compared to previous requirements.

In the northern midlands and mountainous regions, a village must consist of at least 150 households, and a neighborhood group must have 300 households. In the Red River Delta, the requirements are 400 households for villages and 550 for neighborhood groups. The Central Coast and Central Highlands have minimums of 300 and 450 households, respectively, while the Southeast and Mekong Delta regions both require 400 households for villages and 550 for neighborhood groups.

The new scale is higher than previous regulations, which required villages to have between 100 to 350 households and neighborhood groups between 150 to 450 households. The Prime Minister has mandated that localities complete the restructuring of villages and neighborhood groups by June 30 to alleviate management pressures following the administrative unit adjustments and continue streamlining local governance.

The restructuring process must ensure compatibility with historical, cultural, and customary factors, geographical conditions, national defense, security, and the natural cohesion of communities, with particular attention to mountainous, border, island areas, ethnic minority regions, and areas with religious factors.