According to the draft scheme on reviewing and consolidating the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), a proposal submitted to the Prime Minister suggests the following organizational structure:

• 5 General Advisory Departments (Department of International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Planning – Finance, Department of Legal Affairs, Department of Organization and Personnel)
• Ministry Inspector
• Ministry Office
• 2 General Departments (General Department of Meteorology and Hydrology; and General Department of Land Management)
• 13 Departments (Digital Transformation and Environmental Resources Data; Geology; Minerals; Investigation and Planning of Seas and Islands; Integrated Management of Seas and Islands; Environmental Protection; Environmental Quality Management; Planning and Environmental Impact Assessment; Nature Conservation and Biodiversity; Surveying, Mapping and Geographical Information; Climate Change; Water resource management; National Remote Sensing).
• 5 non-business units serving state management (Institute of Strategy, Policy on Natural Resources and Environment; Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper; Journal of Natural Resources and Environment; National Center for Planning and Investigation of Water Resources; Institute of Natural Resources and Environment Training)

Most striking changes include the renaming of one Department, the dissolution of the Department of Emulation, Commendation and Propaganda (its tasks are transferred to Department of Organization and Personnel and Ministry Office), and the splitting of the General Department of Seas and Islands of Vietnam, the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, and the General Department of Environment into eight Departments. Details are as follows:

Rename the previous Department of Information Technology and Environmental Resources Data into

• Department of Digital Transformation and Environmental Resources Data;

Split the previous General Department of Seas and Islands of Vietnam into the following two Departments:

• Department of Investigation and Planning of Seas and Islands; and
• Department of General Management of Seas and Islands;

Split the previous General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam into the following two Departments:

• Department of Geology; and
• Department of Minerals;

Split the previous Vietnam Environment Administration into the following four Departments:

• Department of Environmental Protection,
• Department of Environmental Quality Management,
• Department of Planning and Environmental Impact Assessment,
• Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity.

According to the Director of the Department of Personnel Organisation, Ministry of Home Affairs, there is currently no interference or overlap between the ministries, but there is an overlap in management between the units within the Ministry. It is confirmed that the assignment of state management is undergoing a transformation. For industries and fields that require unified focus, the General Department shall be maintained; for sectors and fields where functions and tasks have been decentralized to the locality, the General Department will be reorganized to reduce the intermediate level, and streamline the organizational apparatus.

Sources:

Sẽ sắp xếp lại một số Tổng cục thuộc Bộ Tài nguyên và Môi trường | Báo Dân trí (dantri.com.vn), accessed on 21 Dec. 2021).

Bộ Tài nguyên và Môi trường đề xuất “xóa” 3 Tổng cục, thành lập 8 Cục | Báo Dân trí (dantri.com.vn), accessed on 21 Dec. 2021.