The Standing Committee of the National Assembly will meet continuously to adjust the administrative boundaries at the commune level.
The Chairman of the National Assembly stated that in April 2025, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will hold continuous meetings to adjust the administrative boundaries at the commune level; it is expected that 60-70% of commune-level administrative units will need to be reorganized.
After 2.5 days of work, on the afternoon of March 14th, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly completed 12 items on the agenda of its 43rd session.
There was basic agreement on 7 draft laws prepared for the 9th Session.
In his closing remarks, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man stated that at the session, the National Assembly Standing Committee had given opinions and basically agreed on 7 draft laws prepared for the 9th Session. Of these, 2 draft laws had already been discussed by the National Assembly at the 8th Session and will be considered and passed at the 9th Session: the Law on Special Consumption Tax (amended); and the Law on Corporate Income Tax (amended).
The National Assembly Standing Committee is giving its first opinion on five draft laws in the 2025 Law and Ordinance Drafting Program: the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Product and Goods Quality; the Railway Law (amended); the Law on Personal Data Protection; the Law on Emergency Situations; and the Law on Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Forces.
The Chairman of the National Assembly requested that the National Assembly's agencies coordinate with the Government to incorporate the opinions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly in order to finalize and send the documents to National Assembly deputies within the deadlines stipulated in the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents (amended) and the Rules of Procedure of the Session.
For issues where there are differing opinions, the drafting and reviewing agencies need to continue reviewing and exchanging views to reach a unified plan, in the spirit of ensuring economic and social growth and development, guaranteeing national defense and security, and building the political system, before submitting it to the National Assembly for consideration and discussion.
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly voted to approve the Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly agreeing to the Government's issuance of a Decree stipulating the reduction of land rent in 2024.
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly also considered and agreed that it was unnecessary to issue a Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly explaining the regulations on the standards of "clean and strong Party organizations and mass organizations" in the Law on Emulation and Commendation. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly suggested a solution and requested the Government to study and select an option to resolve the identified obstacles.
To expedite the implementation of Conclusion No. 77-KL/TW of the Politburo on the Project "Plan to resolve difficulties and obstacles related to projects and land in inspection conclusions and judgments in some provinces and cities" (Project 153), the Standing Committee of the National Assembly has given its opinion on the draft Decree stipulating the time for determining land prices of land funds for payment under Build-Transfer contracts in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, Ho Chi Minh City. The Chairman of the National Assembly requested the Government to study and incorporate the opinions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly at the session to soon finalize and promulgate the Decree.
At the meeting, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly reviewed the 9th Extraordinary Session of the 15th National Assembly; and also considered the report on the National Assembly's work on citizens' petitions for February 2025, as per usual practice.
Regular meetings are being held to adjust administrative boundaries at the commune level.
The Chairman of the National Assembly stated that, in order to ensure the full implementation of the procedures for amending and supplementing the Constitution and to fulfill the requirements of Conclusion No. 126-KL/TW dated February 14, 2025 and Conclusion No. 127-KL/TW dated February 28, 2025 of the Politburo and the Secretariat, the 9th Session is expected to open early, starting in early May.
The workload for preparing for the session is enormous, including: laws that need to be passed before June 30th are still being studied and reviewed by the relevant agencies, and no documents have yet been submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.
The Chairman of the National Assembly requested that the relevant agencies ensure the content, quality, and timeliness of the submissions to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for comments and to the National Assembly deputies as prescribed, with less than two months remaining before the opening of the 9th Session.
Notably, many important issues that the National Assembly Standing Committee was expected to consider at this session were postponed to the next session due to insufficient preparation of documents. These include six laws and one resolution: the Bankruptcy Law (amended); the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil Matters; the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; the Atomic Energy Law (amended); the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy; the Press Law (amended); and the Resolution on extending the exemption period for agricultural land use tax.
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly is expected to hold another meeting at the end of March to discuss preparations for the 9th Session, the draft Law on Management and Investment of State Capital in Enterprises, and other matters (if any).
The Chairman of the National Assembly stated that in April 2025, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will hold continuous meetings to adjust the administrative boundaries at the commune level. It is expected that 60-70% of commune-level administrative units will need to be reorganized.
The April session is scheduled to last 10 days, divided into two phases, during which the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will consider approximately 45 items (not including laws requiring amendment according to Conclusion No. 127-KL/TW and other laws and resolutions that the Government plans to propose for inclusion).
Between these two sessions, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will hold a conference of full-time National Assembly deputies to gather opinions from deputies on several draft laws and other important issues before submitting them to the National Assembly at the 9th session. In addition, members of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will also engage in pre-session meetings with constituents, as well as other meetings, diplomatic activities, and other events.
The Chairman of the National Assembly noted that the National Assembly's agencies need to coordinate more closely with the Government and relevant ministries and agencies; have a scientific work plan; proactively report to the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the National Assembly on emerging issues for timely resolution and guidance; continue to uphold a sense of responsibility, focus intensely, make greater efforts, and prioritize the preparation for the 9th Session.
The Chairman of the National Assembly requested that agencies continue to build on the experience from previous sessions, working day and night, including Saturdays and Sundays, with the spirit of contributing to the country's development and entering a new era - an era of national progress.
完善 legal framework for Vietnam's participation in peacekeeping operations
Earlier this afternoon, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly gave its opinion on the draft Law on Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Forces.
The members of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly agreed on the necessity of enacting the Law to promptly and fully institutionalize the Party's guidelines and policies, the Constitution, the State's laws and policies, and international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory regarding participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations; and at the same time, to complete the legal framework for Vietnam's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs, the body responsible for reviewing the draft Law, requested the drafting agency to continue researching and reviewing domestic legal regulations, relevant international treaties, and general United Nations regulations on participation in peacekeeping operations to concretize the provisions in the draft Law.
In addition, some regulations need further review to ensure they align with the policy of innovative thinking in lawmaking and are consistent with newly passed related legal provisions.
According to the agenda, on the afternoon of March 14th, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will give its opinion on the draft Decree stipulating the time for determining land prices of land funds for payment under Build-Transfer contracts in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, Ho Chi Minh City.