On the afternoon of March 4, at the regular Government press conference, Mr. Phan Trung Tuan, Director General of Local Government, Ministry of Home Affairs, rejected information circulating on social media claiming that the country would continue to merge from 34 down to 16 provinces and cities, or continue to merge communes and wards.

According to Mr. Tuan, the arrangement and reorganization of the political system from central to commune level in 2025 was a strategic step, important for the country's future development. Following this round of arrangements, starting from July 2025, the country reduced from 63 to 34 provinces and cities; the number of commune-level administrative units decreased from over 10,000 to 3,321 communes, wards, and special zones.

The policy of administrative unit arrangement was carefully considered by the Party Central Committee, National Assembly, and Government to ensure the long-term stability of the administrative unit system nationwide. During the preparation process, the Party Committee of the Government met 5 times, submitting to the Politburo and the Secretariat for consideration three times before reporting to the Central Committee for a decision.

Currently, the two-tier local government model has been operating nationwide for about 8 months. In the coming time, the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant agencies will continue to refine institutions, ensuring the system operates smoothly, effectively, and remains close to the people.

Mr. Phan Trung Tuan, Director General of Local Government, Ministry of Home Affairs. *Photo: National Assembly Media*.

This is the third time competent authorities have spoken out to reject rumors about the continued merger of provincial-level administrative units since the 2025 reorganization.

Previously, in mid-November 2025, Mr. Phan Trung Tuan stated that information circulating on social media claiming the country would merge from 34 down to 16 provinces and cities was false news.

A month later, at a session to comment on the draft resolution regulating administrative unit standards and urban classification, National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh also stated that for many years to come, there was no policy to continue dividing or merging administrative units.

Vu Tuan