Among the 52 provinces and cities slated for merger, there are 18 in the North, 15 in the Central region, and 19 in the South, with differences in natural area, population size, and cultural history.

Meanwhile, China — a vast country with a population of 1.4 billion — has only 34 provincial-level administrative units. This ...

With 63 provincial administrations, critics argue that Vietnam’s bureaucratic system is overly complex and wasteful. The call for merging provinces to optimize resources and accelerate economic growth ...

HANOI: Vietnam is planning to reduce the number of provinces by half and slash commune-level authorities by up to 70 per cent, further expanding a streamlining drive that aims to cut billions of ...

The giant panda was once widespread throughout southern and eastern China, as well as neighbouring Myanmar and northern Vietnam. But due to expanding human populations and development, the species is ...