In a sweeping move to streamline Vietnam’s political and administrative apparatus, the Ministry of Home Affairs has called on ministries, sectors, and localities to report on the implementation of two critical government decrees—Decree No. 178/2024/NĐ-CP and its amendment, Decree No. 67/2025/NĐ-CP—by August 30, 2025. These decrees are pivotal to the ongoing effort to reorganize government structures, affecting tens of thousands of public servants, laborers, and members of the armed forces.
The Ministry’s request, formalized in Official Dispatch No. 7461/BNV-TCBC, is more than just a bureaucratic exercise. It’s a vital step in evaluating how policies designed to protect the rights and welfare of those impacted by restructuring are being carried out on the ground. The Ministry has made it clear: all relevant agencies must complete their reports by September 8, 2025, so that the findings can be consolidated and submitted to the country’s highest authorities for review and further decision-making.
This directive follows several high-level communications and policy moves. On August 1, 2025, the Political Bureau issued Conclusion No. 183-KL/TW, setting the stage for a nationwide review of how organizational reforms are being handled. Just days later, the Government Party Committee followed up with Official Dispatch No. 322-CV/DU, further emphasizing the importance of implementing the Political Bureau’s conclusions. The Ministry of Home Affairs then sent its own Official Dispatch No. 6383/BNV-TCBC on August 13, 2025, to all ministries, sectors, and localities, reiterating the need for compliance and timely reporting.
At the heart of these reforms are the people whose jobs and livelihoods are directly affected. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, as of August 19, 2025, a staggering 94,402 individuals nationwide had made the decision to retire as a result of organizational changes. Of these, 81,410 are in the process of having their funding approved, and 75,710 have already received the financial support guaranteed by the new regulations. These numbers, reported in Tien Phong, underscore both the scale of the restructuring and the government’s commitment to ensuring that those affected are not left behind.
Decree No. 178/2024/NĐ-CP, issued on December 31, 2024, established the framework for policies and benefits for cadres, civil servants, public employees, laborers, and armed forces personnel impacted by the reorganization of the political system. Its amendment, Decree No. 67/2025/NĐ-CP, issued on March 15, 2025, refined and supplemented these provisions, aiming to close gaps and address practical challenges that emerged during implementation.
One of the key goals of these decrees, as emphasized by the Ministry of Home Affairs, is to ensure that the rights and interests of those forced to retire or relocate due to restructuring are fully protected. The Ministry stated, "The implementation of these two decrees in recent times has been aimed at ensuring the rights and interests of cadres, civil servants, and public employees who retire due to organizational restructuring, contributing to streamlining and improving the quality of personnel, and retaining and valuing those with outstanding qualities and abilities."
But the process hasn’t been without its complications. According to Tien Phong, Resolution No. 76, dated April 15, 2025, from the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, stipulates that cadres, civil servants, and public employees are to retain their salary and allowances for six months after being reassigned following organizational restructuring. However, confusion has arisen—particularly among police officers—about how this rule should be applied in practice, with some calling for more detailed guidance to ensure their rights are upheld.
Responding to these concerns, the Steering Committee for the reorganization of administrative units and the development of a two-level local government model issued Official Dispatch No. 16/CV-BCĐ on August 9, 2025. This document provided guidance on how to implement allowance regimes for cadres, civil servants, public employees, and laborers after administrative unit reorganization. It specifically addressed allowances related to national defense and security, and sought to clarify how various types of allowances—ranging from leadership and seniority to hazardous duty and responsibility allowances—should be maintained during and after the transition period.
One crucial clarification from the dispatch is that employees who are reassigned due to restructuring will continue to receive the same allowances they were entitled to prior to their reassignment, for a period of six months. If an employee’s remaining working time is less than six months—due to retirement or other reasons—they will continue to receive their allowances until their employment ends. This ensures that no one is left in limbo as the administrative reshuffle takes place.
The list of allowances is extensive, reflecting the diversity of roles and responsibilities within Vietnam’s public sector. It includes leadership allowances, seniority allowances, concurrent duty allowances, regional allowances, special and attraction allowances, hazardous and dangerous duty allowances, responsibility allowances, national defense and security allowances, and several others. The aim is to provide a safety net for those who might otherwise face financial uncertainty during a period of significant change.
Yet, as the Steering Committee acknowledged, there have been different interpretations of how these allowances should be applied, particularly when it comes to the calculation methods and the process for salary grade increments. The August 9 dispatch was therefore intended to unify practices across the country’s many ministries and localities, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that the policies are implemented fairly and consistently.
The government’s commitment to transparency and timeliness in resolving policy and benefit issues was reaffirmed in Resolution No. 268/NQ-CP, which addresses the implementation and operation of the two-level local government model. The resolution assigns the Ministry of Home Affairs the task of developing a comprehensive salary and allowance plan, to be submitted to competent authorities for approval and applied uniformly across the entire political system.
For many, these reforms represent not just a bureaucratic shake-up, but a test of the government’s ability to balance efficiency with compassion. By August 31, 2025, all ministries, sectors, and localities are expected to have completed the resolution of policy and benefit issues under the relevant decrees, with reports due to the Ministry of Home Affairs by September 8, 2025. These reports must include not only the results achieved, but also any difficulties encountered and proposals for overcoming them.
As Vietnam navigates this complex transition, the stakes are high—not just for the thousands of public servants whose careers are in flux, but for the country’s broader ambitions to build a more streamlined, effective, and responsive system of governance. The coming months will reveal whether the promises made on paper are matched by actions on the ground, and whether the government can deliver on its pledge to "ensure the rights and interests of cadres, civil servants, and public employees" during one of the most significant administrative overhauls in recent memory.
