Vietnam’s National Assembly Approves Major Administrative Reform, Reducing Number of Provinces to 34

HANOI, June 12 – Vietnam’s National Assembly on Wednesday approved a landmark resolution to restructure its provincial administrative system, reducing the number of provinces and centrally-run cities from 63 to just 34 starting in 2025.

The resolution takes effect immediately and outlines the merging of several existing provinces into larger administrative units. The move aims to streamline governance, improve resource management, and enhance regional development.

Key Mergers and New Administrative Units:

• Tuyên Quang will absorb Hà Giang, forming a province of 13,800 km² with 1.86 million people, bordering China and five other northern provinces.
• Lào Cai will merge with Yên Bái, creating a province of 13,256 km² and 1.78 million people.
• Thái Nguyên will absorb Bắc Kạn, expanding to 8,375 km² with 1.8 million residents.
• Phú Thọ will merge with Hòa Bình and Vĩnh Phúc, forming a province of 9,361 km² and 4.02 million people.
• Bắc Ninh will combine with Bắc Giang, forming a 4,718 km² province with a population of 3.6 million.
• Hưng Yên will absorb Thái Bình, creating a 2,514 km² province with 3.56 million residents.
• Hải Phòng City will incorporate Hải Dương Province, expanding into a centrally-governed city with 4.66 million residents across 3,194 km².
• Ninh Bình will absorb Hà Nam and Nam Định, forming a province of 3,942 km² and 4.4 million people.
• Quảng Trị will merge with Quảng Bình, resulting in a 12,700 km² province with 1.87 million people.
• Đà Nẵng City will absorb Quảng Nam Province, expanding into a centrally-run city of 11,859 km² and 3.06 million residents.
• Quảng Ngãi will absorb Kon Tum, forming a 14,832 km² province with 2.1 million people.
• Gia Lai will merge with Bình Định, creating a province of 21,576 km² and 3.58 million people.
• Khánh Hòa will absorb Ninh Thuận, becoming a province of 8,555 km² and 2.2 million people.
• Lâm Đồng will merge with Đắk Nông and Bình Thuận, forming a vast 24,233 km² province with a population of 3.87 million.
• Đắk Lắk will absorb Phú Yên, creating a province of 18,096 km² and 3.34 million residents.
• Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) will merge with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu, forming a mega-city of 6,772 km² and 14 million people.
• Đồng Nai will absorb Bình Phước, forming a 12,737 km² province with 4.5 million people.
• Tây Ninh will merge with Long An, creating a province of 8,536 km² with 3.25 million residents.
• Cần Thơ City will absorb Hậu Giang and Sóc Trăng, expanding into a city of 6,360 km² with 4.2 million people.
• Vĩnh Long will be formed by merging Bến Tre, Trà Vinh, and Vĩnh Long, with a total area of 6,296 km² and a population of 4.26 million.
• Đồng Tháp will absorb Tiền Giang, creating a 5,938 km² province with 4.37 million people.
• Cà Mau will merge with Bạc Liêu, forming a 7,942 km² province with 2.6 million residents.
• An Giang will absorb Kiên Giang, creating a province of 9,888 km² with 4.95 million people.
• Provinces Remaining Unchanged: Eleven provinces and cities will not undergo changes: Cao Bằng, Điện Biên, Hà Tĩnh, Lai Châu, Lạng Sơn, Nghệ An, Quảng Ninh, Thanh Hóa, Sơn La, Hà Nội, and Huế.

Final Administrative Structure: Vietnam will now have 28 provinces and 6 centrally-governed cities, with 19 provinces and 4 cities newly formedthrough the mergers.

Implementation and Mapping:

The National Assembly has directed the government to accurately determine and publicize new administrative boundaries. If discrepancies arise between mapped areas and the figures in the resolution, the government is tasked with revising and publicly updating the data.

This sweeping reform marks one of the most significant administrative restructurings in Vietnam’s recent history and is expected to have major implications for governance, infrastructure planning, and regional development.

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Source: Vietnam Insider