At the provincial level, following the administrative mergers, the number of departments and agencies was reduced from 19 to 14, specialised divisions from 114 to 97, and public service units from 109 to 100. A total of 25 public facilities and land sites were subject to reorganisation, of which 10 continue to be used and 15 were internally reassigned.

Under the two-tier local government model, from July 1, 2025, Son La province reduced the number of communes, wards, and towns from 204 to 75. The streamlining of the administrative apparatus resulted in a large volume of public assets, particularly offices and land assets requiring review and reallocation. As a result, 192 facilities remain in use, including 75 headquarters of newly established commune-level People’s Committees and 117 facilities serving as citizen reception points and administrative procedure service centres.

Following the mergers, commune- and ward-level People’s Committees reviewed and compiled lists of assets that were no longer needed, degraded, or inconsistent with planning, and submitted them to competent authorities for handling. The review was conducted under the principles of “no vacancy, no misuse, and no deterioration causing budget losses.”

As of December 22, 2025, the province recorded 114 surplus public facilities and land assets. Of these, 81 have already been assigned handling decisions, including 69 internally reassigned, two transferred to central government agencies, and 10 handed over to the provincial Land Fund Development Centre for handling. Thirteen facilities have completed dossiers but are awaiting decisions, while the remaining 20 are finalising handling plans in accordance with legal regulations. In parallel, all 75 newly established communes and wards have completed the handover of offices, records, and land-use status as approved.

Nguyen Van Phong, Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, emphasised that the province’s viewpoint is to absolutely avoid leaving public assets idle or misused. All surplus facilities and land are reviewed in terms of origin, legal status, and actual demand to develop transparent and rigorous handling plans, maximising efficiency and preventing losses.

During the review process, many localities proposed converting the functions of surplus facilities to serve community needs. Proposed uses include community activity centres, cultural houses, village meeting points, administrative transaction offices for remote areas, markets or parking facilities in line with planning, and land funds for auction to generate budget revenue.

Chieng Hoa commune was formed through the merger of Chieng Hoa, Chieng Công, and Chieng An communes, with the new headquarters located at the former Chieng Hoa commune office. Vu Van Suan, Secretary of the commune Party Committee and Chairman of the commune People’s Council, said the former Chieng Cong commune headquarters has been assigned to Chieng Cong Kindergarten for management and use. Meanwhile, the former Chieng An commune office has not yet had its function converted due to its isolated location, far from schools and residential areas, and is currently used weekly by commune working teams to engage with local residents.

For the remaining 20 office buildings and public service facilities under review, adjustments to usage purposes are being carried out in line with directions from the Government and the Ministry of Finance. On December 19, 2025, the Department of Finance issued an official dispatch urging communes and wards to urgently review, prepare dossiers, and submit solutions for surplus or unused offices and public service facilities for the third time.

In cases where agencies or units have requested to receive specific facilities or land, dossiers for asset transfer must be promptly submitted in accordance with regulations. Where facilities are no longer suitable or needed for offices, public service activities, health care, culture, sports, or other public purposes and where no organisation or individual requests land allocation or leasing, authorities are instructed to consider transferring management to commune-level People’s Committees for handling under land laws, or to the provincial Land Fund Development Centre for management. All dossiers were required to be submitted to the Department of Finance before December 25, 2025.

Although the reorganisation of public assets following administrative mergers is a large-scale task without precedent, Son La province has proactively reviewed and handled surplus assets, contributing to reduced operational costs, optimised use of public assets, increased budget revenue through land-use right auctions, improved public asset management efficiency, minimised losses, and aligned with the two-tier local government model and the digital transformation roadmap.