Ho Chi Minh City plans to reduce communes, wards to 102 units

The plan was endorsed during the 39th Conference of the municipal Party Committee on Tuesday, marking a 62.64-percent reduction in grassroots-level units.

As planned, after the merger, the city will comprise 78 wards and 24 communes.

Therefore, overlapping administrative boundaries will be resolved, including adjustments in Thu Duc City and Binh Duong Province near the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, and the expansion of District 6 by including parts of Ward 16 in District 8.

Besides, District 8’s three ward administrative units were proposed to have their boundaries widened into Binh Hung, Phong Phu, and An Phu Tay Communes in Binh Chanh District.

The plan also mentioned the clarification of boundaries between Go Vap District and District 12, the realignment between Tan Phu and Binh Tan Districts, involving a small section of a public park, and the revisions in Hoc Mon District, addressing overlapping areas with Cu Chi District.

In accordance with the two-tiered local government structure, Ho Chi Minh City is a provincial-level administrative unit, operating with the People's Council and People's Committee, supported by four specialized committees and 15 departments, respectively.

The commune-level government consists of commune, ward, or special-zone People's Councils and Committees, with collective decision-making emphasized in both legislative and executive bodies.

Vietnam's 13th Party Central Committee on Monday approved a plan to rearrange provincial-level administrative units, retaining 11 cities and provinces and merging 52 others to form 23 new provincial-level units.

The committee agreed on organizing local governments at two levels: the provincial level (provinces and centrally-governed cities) and the commune level (communes, wards, and special zones under provinces or centrally-governed cities).

The city’s new arrangement will require a workforce of some 6,120 personnel.

However, the downsizing will leave 11,015 people redundant, including 5,453 on official payrolls and 5,562 part-time staff.

The city’s leadership emphasized that the move aims to enhance governance efficiency while keeping administrative units close to the people.

The new commune-level units are aligned with the city’s socio-economic development goals for the 2025–30 period.

These units are expected to continue ongoing infrastructure and welfare projects without disruption and will minimize complications related to land registration, mapping, and construction management during the transition.

To support a smooth transition, human resources will be strategically allocated to prevent overburdening local public services, ensuring sufficient staffing for both residential and business services.

Proposed name changes and Party organization reforms

Several naming changes were proposed, with District 1 having an administrative unit named Saigon, District 5 forming a unit named Cho Lon, and Cay Mai Ward in District 11 being renamed Minh Phung.

Meanwhile, District 3, District 7, District 10, Tan Binh District, and Cu Chi District will also consider renaming commune-level units.

The restructuring involves the reorganization of the city’s Communist Party system.

The proposal includes dissolving district-level Party committees and establishing the commune-level structure under the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

After the restructuring, the city will have six higher-level Party organizations, 102 Party organizations at the commune/ward level, and 985 Party cells under the commune-level Party organizations.