Vietnam lawmakers approve merging provinces, slashing nearly 80,000 jobs

Vietnamese lawmakers voting on the merging of provinces and cities at the National Assembly in Hanoi on June 12, 2025. - AFP

HANOI: Vietnam's National Assembly on Thursday (June 12) approved plans to merge provinces and cities, slashing nearly 80,000 state jobs, as part of major reforms to the communist country's administrative structure.

Lawmakers voted to reduce the country's 63 provincial and city administrations to just 34, as the government looks to radically cut state expenditure.