Government reviews proposal to establish Đồng Nai City as a centrally administered city

The second plenary session of the Legal and Justice Committee was chaired by Chairman Phan Chi Hi. The session focused on the proposed establishment of Đồng Nai City under central administration and the creation of 10 new wards.

Proposal and political-legal basis

Presenting the dossier, Minister of Internal Affairs Do Thanh Binh said the establishment of 10 wards and the central-government administered Đồng Nai City is supported by a political, legal, and practical foundation. He cited alignment with Politburo Conclusion 224-KL/TW, Office of the Central Committee Document 1184-CV/VPTW, and Resolution 03-NQ/BCH dated 25 March 2026 of the 2nd Session of the 14th Central Committee, which approves the policy to establish Đồng Nai City under central administration for submission to the National Assembly at its first session of the 16th tenure.

The government also noted that Đồng Nai has a special strategic position in the Southeast region and nationwide, serving as an area of strategic importance for both economic development and national defense and security.

Administrative design after restructuring

Under the proposal, the government would establish 10 wards—Long Thanh, Nhon Trach, Trang Bom, Xuan Loc, Dau Giay, Tan Phu, Tri An, Dong Phu, Tan Khai, and Loc Ninh—based on the natural area and population of the 10 communes with the same names.

At the same time, the establishment of Đồng Nai City under central administration would be based on the entire natural area of 12,737.18 square kilometers and a population of 4,491,408. After restructuring, the city’s area and population would not change; however, the number of urban administrative units would increase from 23 wards to 33, while the number of communes would decrease from 72 to 62. The urbanization rate would rise to 54.10%.

Economic and infrastructure context

According to the dossier, in 2025 Đồng Nai’s GRDP was about 677,932 billion dong. Tax revenue exceeded 102,000 billion dong, and per capita GRDP reached 150.86 million dong. The province’s contribution was about 5% of the country’s GDP.

The dossier also highlighted ongoing investment in infrastructure, industrial zones, services, and logistics. In particular, Long Thanh International Airport was identified as a new growth engine for Đồng Nai to become a major growth pole and an international trade gateway in the Southern region.

Standards assessment and committee requests

The government assessment stated that establishing 10 wards is a necessary condition to meet the standards for a centrally administered city. For Đồng Nai City under central administration, 6 of 7 standards are considered met, including population size, natural area, ward ratio, urbanization rate, position-function and governance structure, and socio-economic development.

The committee urged the government to clarify the location and function of the proposed wards and to supplement data on urban classification and urban population sizes in these areas to clarify the basis for urban population thresholds.

Discussion, support, and next steps

Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee Vu Hong Van spoke at the session. Members of the Legal and Justice Committee expressed support for the proposal and urged the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to approve a resolution on establishing 10 wards in Đồng Nai Province and to endorse the proposal to establish Đồng Nai City under central administration for consideration by the National Assembly.

They also requested the government to promptly incorporate feedback and finalize the dossier, and for Đồng Nai to complete urban planning with a plan to address remaining standards by 2028.

Chairman Phan Chi Hi concluded that there was broad agreement on the necessity and basis for the 10 wards and the establishment of Đồng Nai City under central administration, and that procedures have been completed in accordance with the law. He instructed the Standing Office to finalize assessment reports for submission to the Standing Committee and the National Assembly, and urged the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare explanatory reports so the National Assembly and relevant committees can participate in the review.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh and Chairman Phan Chi Hi also attended the plenary session.