Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has confirmed that the central government does not plan to continue the large-scale merging of communes and wards across Vietnam. This announcement was made during a meeting with the Standing Committee of the Phu Tho Provincial Party Committee on July 14. The Prime Minister emphasized the need for localities to ensure smooth operations, effectiveness, and efficiency in the two-tier local government model, while also enhancing administrative and governance capabilities.

The Prime Minister's remarks come in response to ongoing discussions about the restructuring of local administrative units. He stated that local authorities should proactively review and propose adjustments to commune-level administrative units as necessary, based on practical requirements and legal regulations.

Currently, there are 705 communes and wards in Vietnam that do not meet the standards for natural area or population size as defined by the National Assembly's Standing Committee. Among these, 17 units fail to meet both criteria, while 529 units do not meet area standards and 159 do not meet population standards.

Phan Trung Tuan, Director of the Local Government Department at the Ministry of Home Affairs, clarified that reviewing units that do not meet standards does not imply a new round of widespread merging. Many communes and wards in border areas or those with unique historical and cultural factors will not be subject to adjustments like in previous phases.

For smaller communes and wards that do not meet standards and are not considered special cases, localities are encouraged to explore options for restructuring to increase their scale. Provinces and cities may also propose the establishment of larger administrative units than current standards.

Tuan assured that the merging of all 705 underqualified communes and wards will not occur simultaneously but will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific conditions and characteristics of each area.

According to Resolution 112/2025 of the National Assembly's Standing Committee, mountain communes must have a minimum of 5,000 residents and an area of 100 square kilometers; island communes must have at least 2,500 residents and an area of 15 square kilometers; other communes must have at least 16,000 residents and an area of 30 square kilometers. Wards must have a minimum of 21,000 residents and an area of 5.5 square kilometers.