On September 12, 2025, Vietnam’s government launched a sweeping initiative aimed at tightening the management of state assets and strengthening anti-corruption measures as the nation undertakes a major reorganization of its administrative units. This coordinated effort, spearheaded by the Hanoi People’s Committee, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Government Inspectorate, seeks to ensure that public property is managed transparently and efficiently, and that legal loopholes exploited by corrupt actors are firmly closed.
At the heart of these reforms is the directive from the Hanoi People’s Committee, which requires directors and heads of departments, sectors, and units under the city, as well as chairpersons of commune and ward People’s Committees, to rigorously implement instructions from both central and municipal authorities regarding the allocation and management of state assets during the administrative reorganization process. According to lsvn.vn, this includes a comprehensive review and inventory of assets at both district and commune levels prior to any restructuring, with all assets being officially handed over to the relevant managing agencies.
This review is not a mere formality; it is combined with cross-checking against overall inventory results to prevent any asset from slipping through the cracks during the shuffle. The goal is clear: avoid losses, prevent waste, and ensure every public asset is accounted for as Vietnam reorganizes its administrative map. As the city’s directive puts it, agencies must “register and complete ownership rights and asset use rights according to legal regulations; proper accounting, management, and use of state assets; and review, issue new, amend, supplement, or replace management regulations on state assets to fit new organizational structures.”
Local authorities are also given a proactive mandate. Communes and wards are to rearrange and harmonize houses and land within their jurisdiction, ensuring that offices and public service centers have the premises, equipment, and infrastructure they need to continue serving businesses and citizens without interruption. If, after reorganization, there are still unmet needs, these entities are authorized to supplement their assets according to established standards, or to renovate and upgrade old facilities. The focus, according to the directive, is on ensuring that “public administrative service centers can meet service demands and administrative procedures for businesses and citizens without disruption.”
But what happens to surplus houses and land that are left unused after the administrative shakeup? The Hanoi People’s Committee is clear: these must be handled promptly and in accordance with the law. Local authorities are responsible for building plans to exploit or dispose of surplus properties, submitting them to higher authorities for review and decision-making. The city has also tasked its Inspectorate and Department of Finance with strengthening oversight, ensuring that every step of the asset arrangement, reorganization, and handling is monitored, and any violations are swiftly addressed.
This isn’t just about paperwork. Departments, sectors, and units under the city, as well as commune and ward People’s Committees, are required to conduct self-inspections and propose accountability measures for any group or individual who delays or violates regulations on state asset use. If, after assets have been allocated for office use, they prove inadequate, local authorities must continue to adjust and reorganize to guarantee proper working conditions for officials, civil servants, and laborers. The Department of Finance, meanwhile, is charged with monitoring, inspecting, and supervising the management of surplus office premises and state assets, and reporting any difficulties for timely guidance from higher authorities.
These asset management directives are part of a broader push to reform Vietnam’s administrative landscape. On the same day, the Political Bureau assigned the Ministry of Home Affairs to urgently propose new regulations on administrative unit standards, classification, and urban categorization, all within September 2025. As reported by thuonghieucongluan.vn, the Ministry’s tasks include “developing criteria, procedures for reorganization of villages and residential groups,” as well as issuing regulations on standards and classification for administrative units and urban areas.
This isn’t just a bureaucratic exercise. The Ministry of Home Affairs is also coordinating with other ministries, sectors, and localities to guide the arrangement and reorganization of non-specialized personnel—ensuring that community self-managed organizations are strengthened and operate more effectively. There’s also a focus on guiding the functions, duties, and powers of public service units, so that the roles of each entity under commune-level People’s Committees are reviewed and adjusted for consistency. Recruitment, too, is getting a close look, with the Ministry charged with monitoring and inspecting hiring practices to ensure compliance with staffing quotas starting from the 2025-2026 academic year. And, in a move likely to impact thousands of public employees, the Ministry is proactively developing new salary and allowance schemes for approval and unified application across the political system.
Perhaps the most significant development, however, comes from the Government Inspectorate’s proposal to clarify and strengthen the delineation of authority from central to local agencies in the fight against corruption. According to chinhphu.vn, this draft amendment to the 2018 Anti-Corruption Law aims to “close legal loopholes and enhance anti-corruption effectiveness.” The proposed changes would establish a stricter, more effective mechanism for controlling state power and rooting out corruption, in line with the Party’s policies and the new organizational model of the political system.
The draft suggests a parallel structure for asset and income control: the Central Inspection Commission would monitor the assets and incomes of individuals managed by the Political Bureau and Secretariat, while Party agencies at central and local levels would oversee those within their jurisdiction. The Government Inspectorate would supervise officials holding positions from department head and above in ministries and government agencies. Meanwhile, the Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy, State Audit, and other central agencies would each control asset declarations within their respective domains. At the local level, provincial and municipal inspection commissions and inspectorates would share similar responsibilities, covering both Party and government officials.
This model, according to the Government Inspectorate, aims to “regulate uniformly and synchronously the agencies controlling assets and income, avoiding overlapping or unclear authority; and ensuring consistency with Party regulations on asset and income control.” The hope is that with clearer lines of responsibility and stricter oversight, Vietnam can not only prevent asset loss during the administrative reorganization but also build a more transparent, accountable, and corruption-resistant public sector.
As Vietnam undertakes this ambitious administrative overhaul, the nation’s leaders are betting that detailed planning, coordinated action, and tough oversight will deliver the transparency and efficiency that citizens and businesses have long demanded. The coming months will reveal whether these reforms can truly transform the management of public assets and set a new standard for accountability in government.
