Joint Circular No. 17-LB-NV-VH Amending and Renaming Streets, Flower Gardens, Squares, Communes, Villages, and Towns

JOINT CIRCULAR

Regulations detailing and implementing Directive No. 23-TTG dated April 15, 1963 of the Prime Minister's Office on amending and renaming streets, parks, squares, villages, hamlets, and towns.

_____________________________

Respected,Administrative committees of regions, cities, and provinces.

The Prime Minister's Office issued Directive No. 23-TTG dated April 15, 1963 stipulating certain principles guiding the amendment and renaming of streets, parks, squares, villages, hamlets, and towns. After consulting with the Institute of History, this circular is issued to explain and specify the procedures for implementing the aforementioned directive of the Prime Minister's Office.

I. PRINCIPLES FOR AMENDING AND RENAMING STREETS, PARKS, SQUARES, VILLAGES, HAMLETS, AND TOWNS

A. REGARDING STREET, PARK, AND SQUARE NAMES:

From now on, in the northern region, the term "street" should be uniformly used to refer to both small and large streets, including those with many official residences and villas, where trees are planted along both sides of the sidewalks, and those commonly called "boulevards." The term "road" should be used for thoroughfares with fewer houses, more gardens or ponds, connecting the inner city with the outer suburbs, neighboring provinces, or different urban areas within the city. The term "alley" should be used for short, narrow passages connecting two streets or dead-end paths. The term "park" should replace "public garden," and "square" should refer to large open spaces in the city center where major streets intersect.

It is necessary to avoid disrupting the renaming of streets, parks, and squares: traditional names and names of historical figures that have been reasonably used should remain unchanged, except for clearly unreasonable names, especially those of colonialists, imperialists, traitors, exploiters, feudal rulers with insignificant achievements, and Chinese officials who governed our country during the Northern Occupation period.

Streets named after Party leaders, revolutionary martyrs who made significant contributions to the national revolution or sacrificed heroically should be retained. However, the names of living revolutionary fighters generally should be changed and replaced with other names.

For streets named after modern historical figures who have passed away but whose merits and demerits towards the people are not definitively determined, the renaming process must be carefully studied.

For major streets, large parks, and squares, names of national heroes, cultural celebrities, and significant historical events both domestically and internationally should be used, or names of leaders of global revolutionary movements. For medium-sized streets and roads, names of less important historical figures and events should be used. Small streets and alleys should bear the names of even less significant historical figures and events.

To assist administrative committees of cities, towns, and townships in naming streets, squares, and parks, the Vietnam Institute of History has compiled a list of some individuals and historical events both domestically and internationally. Cultural Departments will base their local lists on the attached list in this circular, adding names of prominent figures and historical events with significant meaning to the locality, including names of southern provinces with which the locality has formed sister-city relationships.

Names of mythological or legendary figures that have become common cultural assets of the nation or symbolize the brave spirit of the people fighting against foreign invaders should be maintained.

In naming streets, attention should be given to using women's names, southerners' names, ethnic minority names, and names of individuals who have contributed to the invention and dissemination of trades.

For squares and parks, names of significant historical battles, events, and locations, revolutions, deceased leaders of the international workers' movement, and great cultural figures of the nation and world should be used, avoiding slogan-like names unless they express the people's aspirations for independence and unity or have special significance to the local population.

Traditional names with historical significance that the people were accustomed to using previously should be restored.

For new long streets with the same scenery from start to finish, they should not be divided into multiple sections with different names.

From now on, the naming of newly constructed streets, parks, and squares in centrally-administered cities must be approved by the central committee responsible for reviewing such matters.

B. REGARDING VILLAGE, HAMLET, AND HAMLET GROUP NAMES:

Generally, village names formed by combining new characters with the name of the district should remain unchanged. However, if the old names of some villages had significant traditional, economic, political, or historical importance, they must be restored. Examples include villages named Cổ Loa, Tiên Điền, Võ Liệt, Lam Sơn, etc. Provincial and centrally-administered city administrative committees need to study restoring these village names.

Names of individuals, even those who have passed away, should not be used to name villages, hamlets, and hamlet groups. Village, hamlet, and hamlet group names bearing the names of national heroes, leaders, and revolutionary fighters such as villages named Lê Lợi, Quang Trung, Xuân Khu, Trường Chinh, Quốc Việt, Quốc Trị, hamlets named La Văn Cầu, Nguyễn Thị Chiên, etc., should be changed back to the old names familiar to the people. In exceptional cases, if it is desired to retain the names of living Party leaders or revolutionary fighters, approval from the Council of Ministers is required.

Village names that are duplicated within the same province, overly slogan-like names that are no longer appropriate, mountainous village names in common language difficult for ethnic minorities to pronounce, and names that need to be changed should be replaced with names having traditional significance or previously used names.

If a village is too large and needs to be divided into two or three villages, the old names of the original villages and hamlets should be restored.

If a current village consists of two or three former villages combined, one of the most historically significant names from among the former villages should be chosen, or a new name can be created by combining characters from the old village names.

For village, hamlet, and commune names generally, it is necessary to restore old names that the people were accustomed to using before, except for those names associated with landlord and feudal elements which should be discarded.

In cases where old villages, hamlets, or communes are divided into several new ones, a new character may be added to the original name of the old village, hamlet, or commune to form the name of the new ones.

II. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

A. PRINCIPLES OF IMPLEMENTATION.

- The amendment and naming of streets, squares, and parks in centrally-administered cities shall be studied by the city administrative committee and submitted to the municipal People's Council for decision, and approved by the central committee responsible for reviewing before implementation.

- In cities under provinces, towns, and townships, the amendment and naming of streets, parks, and squares shall be decided by the provincial, town, or township People's Councils and approved by the provincial administrative committee.

- The amendment of commune and township names shall be studied by the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees and submitted to the same-level People's Council for decision, but prior to implementation, approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs is required.

The amendment and restoration of village, hamlet, and commune names shall be studied by the county administrative committees and submitted to the same-level People's Council for decision, approved by the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees, and reported to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

B. SPECIFIC PLAN.

To implement the amendment of street, park, square, commune, village, and township names in provinces and centrally-administered cities of Hanoi and Haiphong, the administrative committees need to establish a specialized department comprising staff from the administrative committee and cultural departments to study the implementation of this work, under the direct guidance of a member of the administrative committee.

To ensure the careful, serious, and timely completion of this work by December 30, 1963, as stipulated in the directive of the Prime Minister's Office, and to prepare and create conditions for the central review committee and the Ministry of Home Affairs to approve effectively, the amendment of street, park, square, commune, village, and township names in provinces and centrally-administered cities must follow the following steps:

Step 1. From now until September 15, 1963, review all street, park, square, commune, village, hamlet, and township names, classify those to be retained and those to be amended, and propose replacement names.

After having proposed amendments to street, park, square, commune, and township names, and before submitting them to the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees for discussion, the administrative committees must send staff to consult with the Ministry of Home Affairs to prepare for subsequent approval by the central review committee and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

For provinces within autonomous regions, they must report and seek opinions from the regional administrative committee before consulting with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Step 2. From September 15 to October 31, 1963:

1. Regarding the amendment of street, park, and square names in Hanoi and Haiphong cities: the city administrative committees will examine and approve the proposals of the specialized department, then submit them to the municipal People's Council for discussion and decision. Subsequently, the city administrative committees will prepare files to send to the Ministry of Home Affairs for research and preparation for approval by the central review committee.

These files include the following documents:

a) List of streets, parks, and squares whose names have been decided to be amended by the municipal People's Council (according to Model 1) ^([1]).

b) Comprehensive list of all streets, parks, and squares in the city, arranged by district or alphabetically.

c) A map of the city marking the current names of streets, parks, and squares.

d) Resolution of the municipal People's Council.

2. Regarding the amendment of commune and township names: the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees will examine and approve the proposals of the specialized department, then seek opinions from the county administrative committees and recommendations from the commune and township People's Councils and administrative committees. Subsequently, the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees will submit to the same-level People's Council for decision, and prepare files to send to the Ministry of Home Affairs for review.

These files include the following documents:

a) List of communes and townships whose names have been decided to be amended by the provincial or centrally-administered city People's Council (according to Model 2).

b) Recommendations from the People's Councils of the relevant communes and townships proposing the amendment of commune and township names.

c) Resolution of the provincial or centrally-administered city People's Council.

For the amendment of commune and township names in autonomous regions, in addition to the procedures and documents mentioned above, agreement from the autonomous region administrative committee is also required.

3. Regarding the amendment of street, park, and square names in cities under provinces, towns, and townships: the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees will examine and approve the proposals of the specialized department, then submit them to the city, town, or township administrative committees for discussion and submission to the same-level People's Council for decision. Subsequently, the city, town, or township administrative committees will prepare files and submit them to the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees for approval.

These files include the following documents:

a) List of streets whose names have been decided to be amended by the city, town, or township People's Council (according to Model 3).

b) A map of the city, town, or township marking the current names of streets, parks, and squares.

c) Resolution of the city, town, or township People's Council.

4. Regarding the amendment and restoration of village, hamlet, and commune names: the county administrative committees will send proposals to the communes for opinions from the administrative committees and recommendations from the People's Councils. Subsequently, the county administrative committees will submit to the same-level People's Council for decision, and prepare files to submit to the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees for approval.

1. A registration form for issuing a journalist card filled out by the applicant according to the model; approved and stamped by the head of the applying agency (Model No. 1);

a) List of villages, hamlets, and communes whose names have been decided to be amended by the county People's Council (according to Model 4).

b) Recommendations from the People's Councils and proposals from the commune administrative committees.

c) Resolution of the county People's Council.

Step 3. In December 1963: After the Central Review Committee has approved the renaming of streets, parks, and squares in the two cities of Hanoi and Haiphong, after the Ministry of Interior has approved the renaming of communes and towns, and after the provincial and centrally-administered city administrative committees have approved the renaming of villages, hamlets, and the renaming of streets, parks, and squares in towns and cities under provincial administration, the local administrative committee will organize to publicize at people's ward, commune, and town meetings, and on local newspapers and bulletins, the reasons for renaming streets, parks, squares, communes, villages, hamlets, and towns. Subsequently, the new names will be implemented.

For the renaming of streets, parks, and squares in towns, urban districts, and cities under provincial administration within autonomous regions, and for the renaming of communes, villages, hamlets, or towns within such regions, the autonomous region administrative committee shall guide and urge the provinces within the region to study and implement according to schedule and in accordance with the situation and characteristics of each locality.

After the Central Review Committee has approved the renaming of streets, parks, and squares in the two cities of Hanoi and Haiphong, after the Ministry of Interior has approved the renaming of communes and towns, and after the provincial or centrally-administered city administrative committees have approved the renaming of streets, parks, and squares in cities under provincial administration, urban districts, and towns, and the renaming of villages, hamlets, and wards, the provincial and centrally-administered city administrative committees will submit lists of renamed streets, parks, and squares in cities, urban districts, and towns, and lists of renamed communes and towns to the Ministry of Interior. Specifically, for commune names, in the list, it is necessary to include the number of villages and the name of each village within each commune, along with a brief history of each commune regarding the process of merging and changing commune and village names from 1945 to the present (Form No. 5 and No. 6). These documents must be completed before December 30, 1963. As for the histories of communes, they may be extended until March 30, 1964.

Upon receipt of this circular, the provincial and centrally-administered city administrative committees need to immediately assign a responsible committee, designate capable staff to undertake this work, and make good use of staff from the Department of Culture, while guiding and urging the administrative committees of cities under provincial administration, urban districts, and counties to carry out the renaming of streets, parks, and squares in cities, urban districts, and towns, and the renaming of towns, communes, villages, and hamlets in counties in a neat and effective manner without hindering administrative and production activities. During the implementation of this work, if any difficulties arise, the provincial and centrally-administered city administrative committees should report to the Ministry of Interior or send staff directly to the Ministry of Interior to seek advice and solutions to complete this work ahead of the deadline stipulated in the directive of the Prime Minister's Office.