National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (R) meets with voters in Vị Xuyên district, Hậu Giang province, on April 18. VNA/VNS Photo

HẬU GIANG — National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn on April 18 met with voters in the Mekong Delta province of Hậu Giang ahead of the 15th-tenure parliament's ninth session, which he described as significant as it will focus on amending the 2013 Constitution to enable apparatus restructuring.

Mẫn noted that this session will have the heaviest workload in the NA's history. The most significant item on the agenda is to consider the amendment of the 2013 Constitution, with eight out of 120 articles to be revised, aimed at facilitating the restructuring of the administrative apparatus.

Public consultation on the constitutional amendments will run from May 6 to June 5, followed by a five-day review period. If passed, the NA's resolution on amending and supplementing some articles of the Constitution will end the operation of district-level administrative units after June 30, he said.

Regarding the reorganisation of provincial- and communal-level administrative units, the NA Chairman said the number of provincial-level units will be brought down to 34 (28 provinces and six centrally-run cities), while 60–70 per cent of the current 10,035 communes will be reduced. Under the Party Central Committee’s resolution, Hậu Giang is expected to be merged with Cần Thơ city and Sóc Trăng province to form a centrally-run city named Cần Thơ, with greater space for development, he said.

This is an unprecedented "revolution" to streamline the organisational apparatus, ensure effective and efficient operations, and reallocate resources for socio-economic development, national defence - security, and building a clean and strong political system, he underlined.

Another key objective, he added, is to create more development space and make public services more accessible. The shift to a two-tier administrative system is meant to bring the administration closer to the people to understand and respond to their needs more efficiently.

The top legislator also underscored the importance of timely implementation. All constitutional and legal amendments must be completed by June 30, 2025, and take effect from July 1. Communal-level units must be fully operational by August 15, and provincial-level units by September 15.

He also highlighted tasks such as optimising healthcare and education infrastructure, and repurposing surplus public buildings effectively.

Besides, the parliament will also look into the draft revised Law on Election of Deputies to the NA and the People's Councils, Mẫn went on, adding that the election of deputies to the 16th-tenure NA and all-level People's Councils for the 2026–2031 tenure is expected to be held on March 15 next year.

In his remarks, the Chairman also asked Hậu Giang to aim for at least 8 per cent growth in 2025 and double-digit growth during the 2026–2030 period, while preparing well for all-level Party congresses and major national anniversaries.

At the meeting, voters voiced strong support for the policy of merging provincial-level administrative units, dissolving district-level ones, and reorganising communes. They expressed absolute confidence that the Politburo, the Party Central Committee, the NA, and the Government will successfully lead the political system's "apparatus streamlining revolution", seen as essential for economic growth, national defence, security safeguarding, people's life quality improvement.

They urged the early implementation of policies for civil servants taking early retirement or voluntarily stepping down, along with support mechanisms for part-time officials impacted by the restructuring. They also called for stronger investment in administrative reform, smart operation centres, and digital infrastructure, to make procedures easier for citizens, businesses, and Government agencies after the mergers.

The NA's ninth session is scheduled to open on May 5 and last until June 30.

Earlier on April 18, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975–2025), NA Chairman Mẫn presented 50 gifts to policy beneficiary families and revolution contributors in Hậu Giang. In Vị Thanh city, he visited and presented a gift to Heroic Vietnamese Mother Nguyễn Thị Kim Hoa, whose husband and son were war martyrs. — VNS