On July 1, 2025, all 34 new provincial-level administrative units officially began operations, a reduction of 29 units from the previous total. This great undertaking to “reorganize the country” has gained support from all walks of life—a favorable foundation for success. As General Secretary To Lam reiterated in his June 29, 2025 article, “The Power of Unity”: “Without the people, even something a hundred times easier cannot be done; with the people, even something ten thousand times harder can be accomplished.” When the people are in agreement and all levels are united, no force can subdue our nation.

Outreach by Party committees and authorities at all levels in recent times has made clear that the policy of reorganizing administrative units and establishing a two-tier local government model is a major revolution of strategic importance initiated by the central leadership.

On this issue, “the Party’s will” and “the people’s aspirations” have become closely aligned.

The core goal of this policy is to expand development space for provinces and cities and harness the leading role of growth-driving regions, economic corridors, and growth poles. Priority is given to combining mountainous and lowland administrative units with coastal areas, and to bringing neighboring localities together in a balanced, rational manner in line with development requirements and priorities. This will enable them to support one another and jointly promote socioeconomic development while meeting the requirements and priorities for the country’s rapid, sustainable development in the new period.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at the ceremony announcing central and local Resolutions and Decisions on merging provincial- and commune-level administrative units, ending the operations of district-level administrative units, establishing Party organizations, and appointing Party committees, People’s Councils, People’s Committees, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees for Ho Chi Minh City and its communes, wards, and special zones.

Reality shows that, after nearly 40 years of renewal, the organization of the country’s development space has begun to reveal limitations. Development space is fragmented along administrative boundaries; regional connectivity remains inadequate in many respects; development investment is spread thin rather than concentrating resources on clearly defined growth-driving regions that can take the lead and drive national economic growth; and a coordinated, modern national infrastructure framework has yet to take shape…

The main causes of this situation are a dispersed approach to development that lacks focus and clear priorities; the absence of comprehensive national planning to clearly define a spatial development model across the country; a lack of mechanisms and policies to promote cross-sectoral and interregional economic development; and persistent local parochialism.

“Reorganizing the country” is by no means easy or simple, given its nature and scale. Success requires, first and foremost, unity and consensus among all the people.

People will support this undertaking if they clearly understand that it is an urgent and inevitable requirement to realign natural and economic development space and forge historical, cultural, and geographical connections to create an administrative-economic entity of sufficient scale. This will broaden development horizons while fostering innovation and strengthening governance capacity sufficiently to achieve high competitiveness and integrate into national and global value chains.

We have achieved initial success as people have come to understand that reorganizing administrative units enables localities and the country to save funds and develop more evenly, and creates new economic centers. It also advances the goals of establishing digital government and digital governance, developing smart cities, integrated economic regions, and flexible administration, enabling administrative transactions to be processed quickly and transparently while saving people and businesses time and money, in keeping with the principle that businesses and the people must receive better service.

“Reorganizing the country” is a step toward effectively organizing national development space, securing intraregional and interregional connectivity, and harnessing each region’s comparative advantages. First, investment will concentrate on selected areas with favorable geographical locations, economic and social infrastructure, high-quality human resources, and other development potential and advantages to form growth-driving regions and economic corridors. Growth poles will then generate spillover effects that promote rapid, effective, and sustainable development across the national economy. At the same time, mechanisms, policies, and resources suited to the economy’s conditions will ensure social security for disadvantaged areas and gradually narrow the gaps between regions.

Merging provincial-level administrative units is also a way to use the country’s resources efficiently and economically, especially its land, water, forests, and mineral resources.

Outreach and education in recent times have also touched people’s deepest thoughts and feelings, helping them feel understood and voluntarily put their love for their hometowns second to their love for the country as a whole. The vast majority of people understand that decisions about merging or consolidating one province with another and where to locate provincial capitals have all been carefully examined and weighed by the central leadership and relevant authorities, taking many factors into account to achieve sustainable, long-term development.

People also understand that naming new administrative units is the result of thorough study and careful consideration of traditional, historical, and cultural factors. Priority is given to using one of the names of the provinces before their merger or consolidation as the name of the new province, minimizing the impact on people and businesses of having to change documents, geographical indications, and other related items…

Concern about “losing our home province’s name” is a natural human emotion. However, the national vision and the country’s supreme interests take precedence over all such “localist” concerns.

By now, most people no longer feel heavily burdened by concerns about “losing our province’s name,” “no longer having districts,” or “our commune being absorbed”…

Emphasizing the importance of unity at this moment, General Secretary To Lam urged: In the current period, as the entire country has been implementing the policy of reorganizing and streamlining the organizational apparatus of the political system, merging administrative units, “reorganizing the country,” and organizing space for the country’s sustainable development, the spirit of unity must be promoted more strongly than ever. With the Party’s strategic vision and leadership resolve, we are determined to uphold and harness the strength of great national unity, regarding it as the “wellspring” and the “unifying thread” running throughout, ensuring that all Party and State guidelines and policies are implemented thoroughly, consistently, and effectively to best meet all legitimate aspirations of the people.

Article and photos: Ky Anh Nguyen, Vietnam News Agency, and Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.