Vietnam's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a bold bureaucratic reform plan that will slash up to a fifth of government bodies, as the country tries to cut costs and improve administrative efficiency.
The number of government ministries will be reduced to 14 from the current of 18, to be up and running from March 1, the assembly said in a statement.
More than 97% of the lawmakers present approved the plan.
The assembly earlier on Tuesday passed an amendment to a law on organising government, paving the way for approval of the planned cull of 15% to 20% of the state apparatus, which will also include four agencies and five state television channels, among other cuts.
The move would "not only save money for the state budget but more importantly, boost the efficiency of the system", General Secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, To Lam, told parliament last week.
Investors, diplomats and officials have broadly welcomed the plan but expect some administrative delays in the short term in Vietnam, a regional industrial hub that relies heavily on foreign investment.
The government has said the overhaul would not impact project approvals.
The planning and investment ministry, which approves foreign investment projects, will join the finance ministry, while the transport ministry and the construction ministry will be merged.
The natural resources and environment ministry and the agriculture ministry will also be merged.
Lawmakers on Tuesday ratified the appointment of two new deputy premiers, including the incumbent investment minister. That will increase the number of deputy prime ministers from five to seven.
The plan coincides with similar post-pandemic government cost-cutting measures being implemented or pledged across the world, including by Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Vietnam's state media last month reported the restructuring would affect 100,000 state officials. It did not elaborate.
"Poor-performing employees must be removed from the system," it quoted Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, as saying.
"State agencies must not be safe shelters for incompetent officials."
Vietnam has officially abolished its long-standing two-child policy in a bid to counter declining birth rates and a shrinking workforce.
Vietnamese authorities have confiscated thousands of counterfeit luxury products, including fake Rolex watches and Prada handbags, during a raid at Saigon Square Shopping Mall in Ho Chi Minh City, state media reported Friday.
France and Vietnam signed a series of agreements, including an Airbus aircraft deal, during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Hanoi aimed at strengthening bilateral ties amid broader trade discussions.
ietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications has ordered the country’s telecommunications providers to block access to the messaging platform Telegram.
A Vietnamese court has sentenced 23 officials and businesspeople for illegally exploiting and exporting rare earths from a northern mine, in a case the court called "especially serious."
Thailand has closed two tourist border crossings with Cambodia following a military skirmish that raised tensions between the two neighbors.
A man drove a car into a group of people in the southern German city of Passau on Saturday. Police say the motive may be personal and have not ruled out that the act was deliberate.
Russia carried out a large-scale air attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight and into Saturday evening, killing at least four people and injuring more than 60 others, including a baby, according to local officials.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the UK from June 8–13 for the first round of China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. Talks will include U.S. Treasury and Commerce Secretaries and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that there could be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk provides financial support to Democratic candidates challenging Republicans who back Trump’s tax-cut bill, signalling a sharp turn in their previously cordial relationship.
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has confirmed it carried out a third targeted attack against the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, early Tuesday morning, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture early Monday, causing no reported injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued, officials confirmed.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak this week to discuss recent trade tensions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended abruptly in Istanbul on Monday, lasting just over an hour amid mounting tensions following a major Ukrainian drone strike on Russian strategic bombers and renewed pressure from the U.S. for a breakthrough.
Thailand has closed two tourist border crossings with Cambodia following a military skirmish that raised tensions between the two neighbors.
A man drove a car into a group of people in the southern German city of Passau on Saturday. Police say the motive may be personal and have not ruled out that the act was deliberate.
Russia carried out a large-scale air attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight and into Saturday evening, killing at least four people and injuring more than 60 others, including a baby, according to local officials.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the UK from June 8–13 for the first round of China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. Talks will include U.S. Treasury and Commerce Secretaries and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that there could be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk provides financial support to Democratic candidates challenging Republicans who back Trump’s tax-cut bill, signalling a sharp turn in their previously cordial relationship.
Thailand has closed two tourist border crossings with Cambodia following a military skirmish that raised tensions between the two neighbors.
A man drove a car into a group of people in the southern German city of Passau on Saturday. Police say the motive may be personal and have not ruled out that the act was deliberate.
Russia carried out a large-scale air attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight and into Saturday evening, killing at least four people and injuring more than 60 others, including a baby, according to local officials.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the UK from June 8–13 for the first round of China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. Talks will include U.S. Treasury and Commerce Secretaries and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that there could be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk provides financial support to Democratic candidates challenging Republicans who back Trump’s tax-cut bill, signalling a sharp turn in their previously cordial relationship.
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