Vietnam government to reduce 4 ministries, National Assembly to cut 2 committees in major streamlining

This move is part of a broader effort to streamline administrative systems and improve operational efficiency.

The restructuring plan includes significant mergers within the government. The Ministry of Planning and Investment will combine with the Ministry of Finance to form the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Transport will combine into the Ministry of Construction, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will merge with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to become the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Science and Technology will consolidate under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs will be integrated into the Ministry of Home Affairs.

A new Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs will also be established. This ministry will be based on the current Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, which will take over the state management of religious affairs from the Ministry of Home Affairs. These changes will bring the total number of government ministries down by four.

Other adjustments include reorganizing the inspection system by rearranging the Government Inspectorate and local and specialized inspection agencies.

Local police structures will also undergo changes, focusing on strengthening commune-level operations and reducing district-level police departments, except in island districts where police stations will remain due to the absence of commune-level administrative units. A pilot program will eliminate party organizations within district-level police units.

The headquarter of the Ministry of Science and Technology in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Giang

The National Assembly will also experience a series of structural changes. The Foreign Affairs Committee will be dissolved, with its responsibilities distributed among the National Defense and Security Committee, the National Assembly Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This will lead to the renaming of the National Defense and Security Committee as the National Defense, Security, and Foreign Affairs Committee.

Other mergers include the Law Committee and the Judiciary Committee, which will form the Law and Judiciary Committee, and the Economic Committee with the Finance and Budget Committee, creating the Economic and Financial Committee.

The Social Affairs Committee will merge with the Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents, and Children to form the Culture and Social Affairs Committee. The Committee for Petitions will be upgraded and renamed the Committee for Petitions and Oversight, while the Committee for Deputies' Affairs will become the Committee for Deputies' Affairs of the National Assembly.

Overall, these changes will reduce the number of National Assembly committees by two.

The Communist Party has also restructured its organizations. The Central Committee's External Affairs Department will cease operations, with its functions transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Party Committees of Central Agencies, Enterprises, and certain central- and provincial-level Party organizations will also be dissolved.

In their place, four new Party organizations will be established, including the Party Committee of Central Party Agencies, the Party Committee of the National Assembly, the Party Committee of the Government, and the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations. The Central Propaganda Department and the Central Mass Mobilization Department will merge into the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department. Additionally, the Central Economic Department will expand its responsibilities and be renamed the Central Policy and Strategy Department.

The Party Central Committee has recognized progress made over the past seven years of implementing Resolution 18, which has led to a more streamlined and cohesive administrative system. However, issues remain with operational mechanisms, unclear accountability, and overlapping responsibilities among agencies. The restructuring process has yet to fully align with efforts to reduce staffing, improve workforce quality, and attract talent. High operational costs also continue to hinder resource allocation for national development and security.

To address these shortcomings, the Central Committee emphasized the need to refine institutional frameworks and operational mechanisms, clearly define the roles of the National Assembly, Government, and judicial bodies, and improve the division of responsibilities between central and local authorities. Greater decentralization is required to ensure that local governments take initiative and are accountable for their decisions while the central government focuses on macro-management and strategic planning.

Administrative units should continue to be reorganized to reduce intermediate levels and align with practical needs, said the committee. Recruitment, training, and evaluation processes for civil servants must also undergo significant reform, it said. Additionally, authorities were urged to establish effective mechanisms to identify and appoint capable, virtuous, and committed leaders, while removing those lacking the necessary qualifications, competence, or credibility.