Under the revised Law on Local Government, officially passed by the National Assembly on June 16, Vietnam will shift to a two-tier local government structure effective July 1. The new model eliminates the district level, leaving only the provincial and commune levels.

As a result, 696 administrative units at the district level will cease to exist, including 87 cities. These comprise 85 cities under provincial management and two cities under centrally governed municipalities: Thu Duc (Ho Chi Minh City) and Thuy Nguyen (Hai Phong).

During public consultations on the law, some proposals suggested retaining provincial-level cities as administrative units with special functions akin to special zones. However, the finalized version aligns with Resolution No. 60 from the 11th Central Committee of the 13th Party Congress and Politburo conclusions, which clearly outline a two-tier government structure without district-level cities or towns.

The government explained in its report that keeping legacy titles tied to the former district level would lead to inconsistency in the administrative structure and cause public confusion - questioning why district names persist if the level is officially removed.

Phan Trung Tuan, Head of the Local Government Organization Department (Ministry of Home Affairs), reiterated that this move ensures uniformity and coherence in the new administrative model. It also aligns with earlier discussions during the Constitutional revision process, which emphasized the need for flexible legal frameworks to adapt to evolving realities.

According to the explanation report from the Constitution Amendment Committee, cities and towns may be considered grassroots-level administrative units in the future, without being subdivided into wards.

For now, communes will remain the designated administrative unit in rural areas, wards in urban zones, and special zones for certain strategically important islands. The reorganization aims to streamline governance, reduce bureaucracy, cut costs, and bring government services closer to citizens.

Furthermore, this model ensures fair representation for residents of smaller urban centers, preventing their interests from being overshadowed by those of larger cities within the same province.

In total, 85 provincial-level cities and the two centrally managed cities mentioned above will officially cease to exist in their current administrative form on July 1.

Nguyen Thao