The decision, which took effect immediately, dissolves the previous separation between the National Civil Defence Steering Committee, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, and the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue. These three entities, formerly operating under separate mandates, are now consolidated into a single inter-agency coordinating body. The primary objective of this restructuring is to advise the Government and the Prime Minister on the organization, direction, and oversight of civil defense activities nationwide. By merging these functions, the state aims to reduce bureaucratic overlap and ensure that policies, legislation, and strategies for disaster response are formulated and implemented as a cohesive whole.
Under the new framework, the Prime Minister serves as the Chairman of the committee, placing the highest political authority directly at the helm of civil defense operations. The deputy chairpersons include Standing Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Gia Túc, who also serves as the Standing Deputy Chairman; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Phan Văn Giang; Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng; the Minister of Public Security; the Minister of Agriculture and Environment; and the Minister of Health. This high-level composition underscores the cross-sectoral nature of the new body, linking defense, public safety, environmental management, and healthcare in a single command structure.
The committee’s mandate is extensive. It is tasked with directly supervising civil defense command bodies at the ministry, central agency, and provincial levels. Its responsibilities include coordinating ministries, agencies, organizations, and local authorities to implement civil defense measures. Crucially, the committee holds the authority to determine and lift civil defense alert levels and to deploy specialized and part-time civil defense forces for the prevention, response, and recovery from disasters. This operational role distinguishes the new body from purely advisory panels, granting it direct leverage over resource mobilization and force deployment during emergencies.
Beyond immediate crisis management, the committee is charged with preparing Vietnam’s participation in international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. This international dimension is supported by duties that include strengthening international cooperation, developing civil defense infrastructure, and procuring necessary equipment. The body will also oversee public awareness campaigns, legal education, and the organization of training and drills. Each ministry and sector represented on the committee is required to designate a focal unit to support its member in carrying out assigned responsibilities, ensuring that the central directive has operational backing at the departmental level.
The decision replaces Decision No. 1585/QD-TTg, dated July 23, 2025, which had previously reorganized the three committees into a single body. The current decree refines this consolidation, establishing the specific organizational chart and reporting lines for the National Civil Defence Steering Committee. The committee includes the Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence as a permanent member, alongside 16 other senior officials from various ministries and agencies, including the General Director of the Vietnam News Agency.
For households and workers, the structural changes imply a more streamlined chain of command during natural disasters, which are a recurring economic and social challenge in Vietnam. While the decree does not outline specific budgetary changes or immediate operational protocols, the integration of agencies responsible for agriculture, environment, health, and defense suggests a more integrated approach to risk management. By centralizing advisory and operational oversight under the Prime Minister, the government seeks to enhance the efficiency of disaster-related states of emergency, potentially reducing the lag time between incident occurrence and state response.
The effectiveness of this new structure will depend on the coordination capabilities of the focal units designated by each ministry. As the committee moves from a planning phase to active implementation, the focus will shift to how well these diverse sectors can operate in unison during a crisis. The consolidation represents a shift from siloed disaster management to a holistic civil defense strategy, aligning domestic emergency preparedness with Vietnam’s growing role in international humanitarian efforts.
As the new committee begins its operations, attention will turn to how it handles the next major disaster event or security incident. The immediate application of its powers to determine alert levels and deploy forces will be the first real test of whether this consolidation delivers the intended improvements in response speed and resource allocation. For now, the administrative architecture is in place, with the Prime Minister and his deputy chairpersons ready to oversee the unified civil defense apparatus.
