With the elimination of district-level governance, the 286 district procedures in HCM City will either shift to provincial agencies or be assigned to the new ward and commune authorities. —Photo thanhnien.vn

HCM City — HCM City is racing to finalise staffing and operational plans for its newly-restructured wards and communes, ensuring seamless services for residents and businesses once they begin operations on July 1.

Right now, the city manages 1,873 administrative procedures, including 1,435 at the provincial level, 286 at the district level, and 152 at the commune level. With the elimination of district-level governance, the 286 district procedures will either shift to provincial agencies or be assigned to the new ward and commune authorities.

During a recent working session with district officials, Politburo member and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyễn Văn Nên said that if everything stays on track, the new setup could start test runs as early as June 15. The city plans to reorganise its current 273 wards, communes, and townships into just 102 new units, with all district offices ceasing operations.

Should the proposed merger with neighbouring Bình Dương and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu provinces proceed, the expanded city would encompass 168 commune-level units, including 113 wards, 54 communes, and the Côn Đảo special zone.V

Võ Thị Trung Trinh, Director of the city’s Digital Transformation Centre, said her team is working at full speed with the Department of Science and Technology and other agencies to get the new system up and running. The municipal People’s Committee Office will advise its Chairman Nguyễn Văn Được on sorting out which district tasks go to provincial departments and which get passed at the new wards and communes.

About the use of existing district offices and public land, Được is pushing to turn them into schools and hospitals, putting community needs first once the district level is dissolved. — VNS