Supervisory authority of provincial People’s Councils over commune-level entities in Vietnam’s two-tier local government

Under Vietnam’s two-tier local government model, the 2025 Law on Oversight Activities of the National Assembly and People’s Councils permit provincial-level bodies to supervise certain commune-level entities. Using doctrinal legal analysis, comparison of supervisory powers, and accountability theory, this study distinguishes the authority of provincial People’s Councils, their Standing Committees, and their Committees. The findings show that not all provincial supervision over commune-level entities constitutes conditional authority; only certain powers are subject to the statutory requirement of necessity arising from practical demands. The study proposes clarifying the grounds for exercising conditional supervisory authority, requiring prior coordination before supervision, and making use of existing commune-level supervisory findings to reduce duplication while preserving the supervisory role of commune-level People’s Councils.