After more than a year of operating the two-tier local government model, Ho Chi Minh City’s administrative apparatus has gradually stabilized, with officials and civil servants adapting to their new duties and residents becoming more accustomed to the administrative boundaries and procedures for handling their affairs.
More time needed for the apparatus to stabilize
After more than a year of operating the two-tier local government model, the apparatus has gradually stabilized, officials and civil servants have adapted to their new duties, and residents have also gradually become accustomed to the administrative boundaries and methods for handling their affairs. Pham Van Quyen, Secretary of the Party Committee of Nghia Thanh Commune, said that keeping administrative units stable at this time is appropriate. According to Mr. Quyen, the locality needs to focus on strengthening the apparatus, improving the quality of services for residents and making better use of its existing potential and advantages.
Similarly, Nguyen Thi Kim Huong, Secretary of the Party Committee of An Long Commune, agreed with the policy of not rearranging administrative units in communes in order to maintain stability in the apparatus and focus on socio-economic development goals. An Long Commune is a remote area, with a population of more than 19,000 and an area of more than 100 square kilometers. Its population is dispersed, and travel remains difficult in many areas.
An Long Commune is focusing on consolidating its organizational apparatus, accelerating administrative reform and digital transformation, and improving the quality of public services. Maintaining stable administrative boundaries will help the locality continue to make use of the development space that has been established and focus resources on these tasks.
According to Le Duc Thanh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tan Dinh Ward, practical experience in operating the system shows that current difficulties are mainly related to the transfer of responsibilities, decentralization, organizational structure, human resources, facilities, finances and governance methods. Therefore, what is needed is to continue improving governance capacity rather than allocating additional resources to another process of rearrangement and transfer.
Bottlenecks are not about area or administrative boundaries
According to survey data from the HCMC Development Research Board, the main bottlenecks stem from operational effectiveness, with no indication that the primary causes lie in area or administrative boundaries.
A review by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee found that since July 1, 2025, the city has decentralized and delegated authority in nine areas, covering more than 1,000 tasks, to departments, agencies and commune-level People's Committees, thereby increasing the initiative and responsibility of local authorities. At the same time, the application of information technology, electronic documents, digital signatures and online public services has helped shorten the time needed to process dossiers while reducing travel time and costs for residents and businesses.
Based on listening to opinions from localities, consolidating assessments by relevant agencies and reviewing the practical operation of the apparatus in local areas, on September 11, the Standing Committee of the HCMC Party Committee issued Conclusion No. 1338-KL/TU, agreeing not to proceed with the rearrangement of commune-level administrative units for now and to retain the 168 communes, wards and special administrative zones across HCMC.
The conclusion also stated that the city will continue to improve and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations in communes. At the same time, it will focus on addressing shortcomings, limitations, difficulties and obstacles arising in practice; apply and concretize the policies and regulations of the central government under Politburo Resolution No. 09-NQ/TW and the Law on Urban Development in line with the city's practical conditions; and strive to basically resolve by the end of 2026 difficulties and obstacles arising at the grassroots level that fall under the city's authority.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has 54 communes, wards, and special administrative zones that do not meet the legal requirements for natural area size and population scale as stipulated in Resolution No. 112/2025 of the Standing Committee of the 15th National Assembly. To provide a sound basis for considering and deciding on the reorganization of administrative units in communes in line with the city’s realities, the Ho Chi Minh City Development Research Board has proposed that decisions should be grounded in several key factors: a two-year review of the two-tier local government model; a one-year review of the Urban Development Law; the initial outcomes of the city’s comprehensive master plan for the 2025–2050 period with a 100-year vision; and reports on the organization and operations of 168 administrative units in communes under the new conditions.
