In a move described as both urgent and foundational for the next phase of Vietnam’s administrative reform, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a sweeping directive requiring all ministries, sectors, and localities to conduct a comprehensive review of their organizational structures and staffing levels. This review, which must be completed and officially reported by August 4, 2025, marks a pivotal step in the government’s ongoing efforts to streamline public administration and implement the two-level local government model, as outlined by recent political directives.
According to laodongthudo.vn, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra signed Official Dispatch No. 5765, which was sent to ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and the People’s Committees of provinces and cities. The dispatch requests a detailed statistical report on the current state of the administrative apparatus, public non-business units, and staffing after recent rounds of organizational restructuring. The move is directly linked to the Politburo and Secretariat’s broader strategy for public sector modernization and aims to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive evaluation of how effectively these reforms have been implemented.
As outlined by the Ministry, the review must include the number and structure of administrative organizations and public non-business units at each management level as of July 31, 2025. This requirement is not just a bureaucratic exercise—it is intended to provide a clear, data-driven snapshot of Vietnam’s evolving government machinery. For specialized departments under commune-level People’s Committees, the Ministry emphasized the need for clarity, requesting detailed reports on both the quantity and names of these departments. In cases where such specialized departments are not organized according to Decree 150/2025/ND-CP, localities are instructed to provide explanations, especially if exceptional circumstances apply.
Staffing is another critical focus. The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked for precise statistics on the number of civil servants and employees working in public non-business units, managed by ministries, sectors, and localities as of July 31, 2025. These figures are to be compared with the authorized staffing levels set in 2022 and any subsequent adjustments up to 2025. The urgency of the timeline is clear: all relevant bodies must submit their official reports no later than August 4, 2025. This rapid turnaround is intended to ensure that data can be consolidated in time to support further evaluation and policy proposals to be presented to higher authorities for decision-making.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, speaking at a recent conference evaluating the results of internal organizational restructuring and one month of operating the two-level local government model, highlighted several persistent challenges. She noted, “Some commune-level governments have not yet arranged enough key leadership positions—there is a shortage of executive committee members, standing committee members, secretaries, deputy secretaries, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of People’s Committees, as well as chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of People’s Councils.”
According to the Minister, the process of establishing, reorganizing, and restructuring public non-business units at the commune level remains problematic in certain localities, with lingering questions about the appropriate authority to carry out these changes. Furthermore, she pointed out that both the quantity and quality of cadres and civil servants are inconsistent across the country. “Many places lack specialized staff in fields such as science and technology, land management, finance, and legal affairs,” she explained. “The number of deputy-level positions at some provincial agencies remains high, and the distribution of staff is uneven, leading to surpluses in some areas and shortages in others.”
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra also provided insight into the current composition of commune-level staff: “Currently, about 70% of commune-level officials are former commune-level civil servants, while the remaining 30% have been transferred from former provincial or district levels. This leads to a lack of uniformity in qualifications and skills, making it difficult to assign personnel appropriately.”
To address these imbalances, the Minister called for localities to rigorously review, summarize, and evaluate the arrangement of their staff, categorizing and filtering personnel based on specific criteria and standards. She underscored the need to “develop solutions for handling and resolving staffing issues, while also opening up recruitment opportunities to supplement the workforce as required by new tasks.” The Ministry of Home Affairs is set to propose a new government decree on job position determination, which will serve as a legal foundation for both restructuring and optimizing Vietnam’s civil service, particularly at the commune level. In tandem, specialized training programs will be organized to enhance the skills and capacity of public employees in the face of new administrative demands.
The Ministry’s directive is closely linked to Decree 170/2025/ND-CP, which governs the recruitment of civil servants. This decree stipulates that recruitment must be based on staffing ratios, job positions, and the specific requirements of each position. Recruitment plans are required to detail the number of authorized and unused staff, job position requirements, staffing ratios for each role, and clear recruitment standards. Notably, if foreign language exams are part of the recruitment process, the plan must specify the language, content, format, timing, scoring criteria, and recruitment methods. In cases where recruitment involves written examinations, the method and structure for professional subject exams must be clearly outlined.
All these measures are intended to ensure a merit-based, transparent, and needs-driven approach to staffing, as Vietnam seeks to modernize its public administration and make government more responsive to the needs of its citizens. The Ministry’s insistence on urgent reporting and comprehensive data collection reflects both the scale of the challenge and the determination to move quickly. As the August 4 deadline approaches, ministries, sectors, and localities across the country are racing to compile and submit their reports, fully aware that the results will shape not only the next phase of administrative reform but also the future of local governance in Vietnam.
While the process is far from simple—requiring careful coordination, honest assessment, and a willingness to adapt—the government’s resolve is unmistakable. By demanding clarity and accountability at every level, Vietnam’s leaders are betting that a more agile, efficient, and professional civil service will emerge, ready to tackle the challenges of a rapidly changing society.
