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Hanoi’s administrative restructuring has created a new context for local governance, with the city now operating 51 wards and 75 communes, including “super wards” with populations in the hundreds of thousands. Against this backdrop, the “socialist commune ward” model is presented as a comprehensive standard for integrated development and governance at the local level, designed to function as a “livable mini-city” that links housing, workplaces, services, and production.
The model is described as a “liveable mini-city” oriented toward integration, connecting where people live, where they work, the services they use, and local production activities. Its stated benchmark for success is residents’ quality of life, citizen satisfaction, and happiness.
Population scale under the model is given as ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000 people.
Governance activities under the model are tied to 54 criteria developed to be monitorable, evaluable, and verifiable in real time across eight core pillars. Every policy and development program is required to answer a central question: whether people are living better and more satisfied.
The approach emphasizes integrated, multi-sector governance supported by data and modern measurement tools. Implementation is planned through 19 development projects spanning infrastructure, digital transformation, economic development, social welfare, and environmental work.
After administrative unit reorganization, Hanoi’s ward and commune system includes many “super wards” with large populations. The article says the merging process has not erased traditional values; instead, it is described as providing base units with additional resources and room to strengthen local identity.
In this framework, the socialist commune model aims to restructure urban space in an integrated direction—linking living, working, services, and production—to form a local economic ecosystem where residents can live, work, and earn income within the locality while remaining connected to other areas.
The article highlights the governance method as the model’s key breakthrough: an integrated, multi-sector approach based on data and measurable indicators, with activities tracked against the system of 54 criteria.
Commune-level authorities are expected to take direct responsibility for development outcomes, quality of life, and residents’ satisfaction, rather than focusing only on administrative procedure processing. Citizens are positioned as the center of decision-making, with each policy or program required to demonstrate improved living conditions and satisfaction.
It also calls for organizational evolution, including streamlining the civil service to reduce administrative layers and strengthen substantive capacity. Frontline officials are described as needing modern governance capabilities, including cross-sector coordination, data-driven decision-making, and execution of development programs.
“This represents a shift from administrative civil servants to district development managers, a fundamental change in structure, capability, thinking, and responsibility,” Tuyến stressed.
On resources, Hanoi is described as planning to mobilize from the state budget and broader social resources, supported by special policies to ensure effective implementation. The plan includes 19 projects covering infrastructure, digital transformation, economic development, social welfare, and the environment.
At the same time, Tuyến recommends three critical factors to avoid large-scale investment with low impact or a “model demonstration” that cannot be scaled: clear and specific criteria, detailed and verifiable implementation plans, and results-based evaluation.
“If residents are not truly satisfied, if living standards do not improve significantly, the model cannot be considered successful,” Tuyến stated.
The article notes that on May 4, during a meeting with voters from 10 Hanoi wards after the first session of the 16th National Assembly, Vietnam’s General Secretary and President, Tô Lâm, proposed that Hanoi trial a socialist commune ward model to gain experience and clarify the model’s organization and capacity to meet residents’ needs.
On May 5, the Hanoi City People’s Committee reviewed the draft Project implementing the pilot model of “socialist commune ward” in the city, described as a shift from policy prompts to concrete design.
If implemented effectively, the model is described as an “institutional laboratory” that concretizes socialist values in a new development context, with the possibility of expansion across the country according to local characteristics.
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