The four departments for justice, natural resources and the environment, labour and social affairs and healthcare will remain unchanged in all of Vietnam’s 63 provinces and centrally-governed cities.
The second group of departments for investment, finance, transport, construction, agriculture, industry, trade, education, science, culture and communication could either be merged or kept as is, to be decided by the provincial people’s councils.
Meanwhile the department for home affairs and the provincial inspectorate could be merged with the corresponding provincial Party agencies, namely the Organisation Committee and the Inspection Committee.
The office of the people’s committee could also be merged with the office of National Assembly deputies and provincial councillors.
The departments for urban planning and architecture, foreign affairs, tourism and the committee for ethnic affairs are optional.
The move is expected to reduce the number of provincial departments by between 46 and 88 and improve the efficiency of the provincial governments' operations.
Under the more radical of the two options proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will have no more than 20 departments, while other provinces and cities will have no more 17 or 18 departments, depending on their specific conditions.
