Opening of the 55th Session of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly
On the morning of March 2nd, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly held its 55th session at the National Assembly building.
Presiding over and delivering the opening remarks, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man stated that there are only 13 days left until the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and deputies to People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term (March 15, 2026).
The 55th session was held earlier than usual and divided into two phases. During this session, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will consider and provide opinions on many important issues.
Accordingly, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly gave its opinion on 10 draft laws and 1 draft resolution expected to be submitted for approval at the First Session. Given the large volume of content, broad scope of regulation, and many issues on which there are differing opinions, the Chairman of the National Assembly requested that delegates focus on clarifying remaining obstacles and policies with alternative options.
"The general view is that we must proceed cautiously, with quality being the decisive factor. Are the documents complete? Is the implementation of the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents ensured? Is the implementation of Regulation 178-QĐ/TW of the Politburo correct?", the Chairman of the National Assembly emphasized, and requested a thorough review of the submitting agencies to ensure procedures, timelines, and quality.
Regarding laws in the field of justice and citizens' rights, such as the Law on Notarization, the Law on Legal Aid, and the Law on Access to Information, the Chairman of the National Assembly stated that these draft laws directly relate to the legitimate rights and interests of the people. Therefore, the regulations must be clear, easy to understand, easy to remember, easy to implement, and easy to inspect and supervise, minimizing unnecessary procedures.
Regarding the amended Law on the Capital City, the Chairman of the National Assembly noted that it is necessary to create a clear, substantive, and specific mechanism; decentralization and delegation of power must go hand in hand with control of power; and policies must be feasible and implementable immediately, avoiding vague regulations.
Regarding the Social Insurance Law, social security policies must ensure stability and harmonize the interests of the State, workers, and businesses; avoiding the creation of anxiety in society. As for the Law on Emulation and Commendation, it must ensure genuine emulation, overcome formalism, and reward the right people for the right work, creating motivation for development.
If the relevant agencies prepare the necessary documents in time, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will provide feedback on several other important issues to be submitted to the National Assembly, such as: the draft Resolution on the 5-year socio-economic development plan 2026-2030 and the Government's report on the work of practicing thrift and combating waste in 2025.
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly will also consider matters within its jurisdiction, such as: amending and supplementing Resolution No. 1744/NQ-UBTVQH15 on the list of members of the National Council for the Selection and Supervision of Judges; giving opinions on the application of privileges and immunities to the Economic Development Cooperation Fund Office of the Korea Export-Import Bank in Vietnam; and reviewing the regular report on citizen petitions.
At this meeting, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly also gave its opinion (for the second time) on the preparations for the First Session of the 16th National Assembly. The Chairman of the National Assembly suggested that consideration should be given to which content should be removed and which should be added. The general spirit is to prepare thoroughly, avoiding any passive approach at any stage. The transition of the term must also be ensured to be smooth, without any legal vacuum or disruption to the operation of the agencies.
The Speaker of the National Assembly acknowledged and commended the proactive and responsible approach of the drafting and reviewing agencies, especially the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly's Committee on Law and Justice, for preparing the draft laws under their responsibility early on, and organizing preliminary reviews even in the days leading up to Tet so that they could be presented on the first day of this session.
Currently, there are still some draft laws included in the legislative program scheduled to be submitted to the National Assembly at the First Session, which were registered for submission to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly at the March session, but have not yet had their dossiers reviewed. The Chairman of the National Assembly requested that immediate action be taken to address this issue. Those registered in the program must be strictly implemented; it is unacceptable to request a postponement close to the session due to insufficient preparation; the reviewing body should not have to wait or repeatedly urge the relevant agencies to expedite the process.
The Chairman of the National Assembly stated that before, during, and after the Lunar New Year, the National Election Council, the Office of the National Election Council, and relevant agencies actively prepared to ensure the successful conduct of the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and deputies to People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term. The Government, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the National Election Council, the National Ethnic Council, and the Committees of the National Assembly were very active and expeditious in the days leading up to and during the Lunar New Year holiday. To date, most localities have not submitted any requests to the Central Government or the National Election Council.
However, the Speaker of the National Assembly also requested that members of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and members of the subcommittees continue to review which contents have been prepared, are being prepared, and have not yet been prepared. As General Secretary To Lam clearly stated, the central task in March is to successfully conduct the elections and prepare for the First Session of the 16th National Assembly as well as the First Sessions of the People's Councils of the localities.
Emphasizing the need to focus on completing extremely important political tasks within a very short period, the Chairman of the National Assembly requested that each agency and each individual proactively strive and make the utmost effort to fulfill their duties.
