Much work still ahead to ensure smooth, effective two-tier local government model: PM
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, to date, localities have completed the restructuring of provincial and communal-level People’s Councils and People's Committees, establishing 465 specialised agencies under 34 provincial-level People’s Committees and 9,916 offices under 3,321 commune-level committees.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addresses the meeting (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Although the new two-tier local government model has run stably since its launch on July 1, there is much to do to ensure its smooth, synchronous and effective operations, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has stressed.
Chairing a meeting of the Government Party Committee’s Standing Board and the Government on August 23 to review two months of implementing the model, PM Chinh highlighted positive changes with the administration shifting from management-oriented to service-oriented, and reforms winning public consensus and increasing confidence in a modern, professional system.
However, he acknowledged difficulties in personnel arrangements, infrastructure, budgeting, digitalisation, asset handovers and housing for officials.
He noted Party General Secretary To Lam’s directions that staff shortages must be addressed immediately by reinforcements from provincial or ministerial levels.
The PM urged delegates to assess achievements, shortcomings and obstacles, and propose practical solutions.
He requested reviews of conclusions of the Government and the PM, improvements to the legal framework and the design of tools to measure performance.
Administrative restructuring, he said, has created new development space, requiring proper planning and transparent budgeting.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, to date, localities have completed the restructuring of provincial and communal-level People’s Councils and People's Committees, establishing 465 specialised agencies under 34 provincial-level People’s Committees and 9,916 offices under 3,321 commune-level committees.
Public service centres have been set up in 32 localities, handling 4.4 million dossiers from July 1 to August 19, nearly 75% submitted online.
As of August 21, 2025, based on 30 Government decrees on decentralisation and delegation of authority, ministries and ministerial-level agencies had issued 66 circulars to further detail and guide state management responsibilities under the two-tier local government model.
Personnel downsizing has seen more than 94,000 officials leave their posts, with over 50,000 already receiving payments.
The Ministry of Finance reported 16,124 surplus properties requiring handling, including 6,704 arising from restructuring.
ܫ At the meeting, ministers pointed out remaining challenges, including uneven staff capacity, incomplete digitalisation and records management, and difficulties in transferring data, assets and finances./.
The two-tier local administration system has initially operated in a stable and smooth manner, shifting from a management role to one of service provision and development facilitation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed while addressing a conference reviewing one month of running this system on July 28.
PM Pham Minh Chinh said that the rapid implementation of the political apparatus reorganisation and administrative unit merger has not fully anticipated all potential complications, leading to certain difficulties.
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Upon learning of the passing of Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on behalf of the leaders of the Vietnamese Party and Government, on September 17 sent a message of condolences to his Cuban counterpart Manuel Marrero, the Government of Cuba, and the family of the late official.
Petronas has partnered with the state-owned Vietnam National Industry – Energy Group (Petrovietnam) in a wide range of joint projects, and the two sides are now expanding into new fields such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man welcomed the support of member parliaments for draft resolutions initiated by Vietnam and submitted for adoption at AIPA-46.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Tran Quoc Khanh on September 16 had a working session with Abdelkader Toumi, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Batna province, which is twinned with Dien Bien province of Vietnam, and representatives of Algerian enterprises to seek ways to expand cooperation in various fields.
The third nationwide conference on public investment promotion, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's meetings with the Cambodian National Assembly President and the Timor-Leste National Parliament Speaker, and Vietnam ranking 44th among the 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2025 are among news highlights on September 17.
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The first Congress of the Party Organisation of the Central Party Agencies will focus on two main tasks: reviewing the implementation of the Resolutions for the 2020-2025 term, and setting the directions, goals, tasks, and solutions for the new term; and delivering feedback on the draft documents to be submited to the 14th National Party Congress.
With a journey from post-war reconstruction to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Vietnam has proven that anything is possible with vision, unity, and determination.
Urban growth and rural development are inseparable and strategic missions that must complement each other, adding modern urban areas drive the nation’s growth while prosperous and sustainable rural areas provide solid foundations, said Party chief To Lam.
Vietnam and Brunei were suggested to maintain exchanges at all levels, especially at high level, and cooperation mechanisms such as consultations between armed forces and the Joint Working Group on military and defence cooperation.
General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, asked the congress to select talented and passionate cadres for the new tenure to ensure the successful implementation of the 20th Congress’s resolution, thus contributing to national construction and defence.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held bilateral meetings with Cambodian National Assembly President Khuon Sudary and Timor-Leste National Parliament Speaker Maria Fernanda Lay in Kuala Lumpur on September 17 on the sidelines of the 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-46).
Vietnam and Australia have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting the depth of their bilateral ties and opening up broad prospects for more extensive, practical, and effective cooperation in the years ahead.
Vietnamese leaders' receptions for the Aide to the President of Russia and Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's meeting with the Vietnamese community in Malaysia, and Deputy PM Mai Van Chinh's meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng are among news highlights on September 16 evening.
Vietnam will continue assisting Timor-Leste in effectively participating in ASEAN’s activities and keeping pace with the bloc’s development, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his spouse met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Malaysia on September 16 as part of his official trip to the country.
Conditions must be in place so that equipment, infrastructure, and facilities serving the congress can be put into trial operation on November 15, said Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu.
Vietnam will continue to actively support Timor-Leste in effectively participating in and actively contributing to the ASEAN Community, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung affirmed on September 16.