1. Strongly innovating the thinking of law-making according to new development requirements
In 2024, the legislative work achieved very important results, especially recognising the innovation of the thinking of law-making to ensure effective state management while encouraging innovation and creativity, liberating all productive forces; promoting decentralization and delegation of power; thoroughly cutting down administrative procedures; taking people and businesses as the center and subjects in legal regulations. Therefore, the laws promulgated are concise, substantive, and provide correct and sufficient regulations on issues under the authority of the National Assembly, ensuring stability and long-term value.
The number of laws and resolutions passed in 2024 is the highest since the beginning of the term, with 31 laws and 42 resolutions (accounting for nearly 50% of the total number of legislative tasks completed since the beginning of the term), including 8 legal resolutions, which were highly approved by the majority of National Assembly deputies.
In the 8th Session alone, the 15th National Assembly passed 18 laws, nearly one third of the total number of laws passed since the beginning of the term. In particular, the legislative technique of “using one law to amend many laws”, adopted according to the procedure of 1 session, was applied when promulgating 1 law amending 4 laws in the investment field and 1 law amending 9 laws in the finance and budget fields, showing the great efforts and determination of the National Assembly and the Government to promptly amend and supplement mechanisms and policies to meet urgent practical requirements; contributing to overcoming institutional “bottlenecks”, promoting the country’s socio-economic development, ensuring the correct implementation of the direction of General Secretary To Lam and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man at the opening session of the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly on innovation in law-making thinking.
2. The National Assembly passed the 2024 Land Law; Decision on the Land Law, along with the Housing Law and the Real Estate Business Law, to take effect 5 months early
At the 5th extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly, the National Assembly passed the Land Law No.31/2024/QH15, completing one of the most important legislative tasks of the 15th National Assembly term. The law takes effect from January 1, 2025.
However, in order to remove obstacles and promptly put new policies decided by the National Assembly into practice, meeting the requirements of the country’s socio-economic development, based on the Government’s proposal and the high consensus of localities and relevant agencies, at the 7th session, the National Assembly passed Law No. 43/2024/QH15 amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Land Law, the Housing Law, the Real Estate Business Law and the Law on Credit Institutions; In which, the Land Law, Housing Law, and Real Estate Business Law take effect from August 1, 2024, 5 months earlier, to overcome the shortcomings and limitations of current laws, meet the requirements of synchronously perfecting policies and laws on land management and use, real estate market and housing in accordance with the institutions of developing a socialist-oriented market economy; ensure that land resources are managed, exploited, and used economically, sustainably, and with the highest efficiency; meet the requirements of promoting industrialisation, modernisation, fairness, and social stability, creating momentum to turn our country into a developed country with high income, promptly meeting the expectations and aspirations of the people, businesses, and foreign partners.
3. The National Assembly decided on the investment policy for two major projects of historical significance to the country’s sustainable development, namely the North-South high-speed railway and the restart of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.
Implementing the Party’s guideline and based on the Government’s proposal, at the 8th Session, the National Assembly seriously discussed and reached a high consensus to decide on the investment policy for the North-South high-speed railway and continued to invest in the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.
This is a historic decision, at a ripe time for two particularly important projects of the country, with a very large total investment and converging high levels of science and technology, comprehensively impacting all economic, social, security and defense fields, contributing to bringing the country into a new era.
The National Assembly’s agreement to continue investing in the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project after 8 years of suspension is of great significance and of a contemporary nature in developing the national energy infrastructure, ensuring energy security, enhancing the development of high-quality human resources and the country’s science and technology potential.
In particular, the North-South high-speed railway project, implemented in the form of public investment, is a clear demonstration of innovative thinking in developing national infrastructure, harmoniously combining the goals of economic and social development, environmental protection and is a symbol of the aspiration, spirit of innovation, and drastic actions of the Party and State to open up great opportunities for the country's rapid and sustainable development in the future.
4. The National Assembly passed two National Target Programmes on Drug Prevention and Control and Cultural Development
The National Assembly’s passing of the Resolution on the investment policy for the National Target Programme on Drug Prevention and Control to 2030 and the Resolution on the investment policy for the National Target Programme on Cultural Development for the 2025-2035 period (at the 8th Session) is of great significance.
The Resolutions have clearly identified specific, practical, and highly feasible targets, setting out principles for allocating resources with a focus and key points that have a strong impact on the effectiveness of sustainable human development, ensuring a safe, healthy, and spiritually diverse living environment for the People.
Accordingly, the National Target Programme on Drug Prevention and Control will promote the combined strength of the political system and the entire population to reduce the harmful effects of drugs in the three areas of supply, demand, and harm; The national target program on cultural development plays an important role in building and perfecting the personality, ethical standards, identity, bravery, and value system of Vietnamese people and families, gradually institutionalising the Party’s major policy at the 2021 National Cultural Conference.
5. The National Assembly decided to “universally” provide medical examination and treatment using health insurance for rare diseases, serious diseases, and diseases requiring high-tech treatment
The Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance was passed by the National Assembly at the 8th Session in a shortened order at 1 session to promptly overcome urgent problems and obstacles, ensure the consistency and synchronisation of the legal system, and compatibility with relevant international treaties; at the same time, contribute to better ensuring medical examination and treatment services under health insurance for the people.
In particular, it strengthens people’s trust in the health insurance policy of the Party and the State, making the health insurance card a “symbol” of humanity and social equality.
Accordingly, the Law has stipulated that people with health insurance cards who suffer from rare diseases, serious diseases, diseases requiring surgery or high technology can go directly to specialised medical examination and treatment facilities (large, leading hospitals) without having to go through the current referral procedures; at the same time, they are still entitled to 100% of the cost of medical examination and treatment according to the prescribed percentage of the benefit level without distinguishing between administrative boundaries by province.
6. Hue became centrally-run city and completing the arrangement of district and commune-level administrative units according to schedule
After 20 years since the 11th National Assembly (4th Session) passed Resolution No.22/2023/QH11 on establishing Can Tho city as a centrally-governed city, on November 30, 2024, at the 8th Session, the 15th National Assembly passed Resolution No.175/2024/QH15 on establishing Hue into a centrally-run city.
This is a very important decision, marking an outstanding achievement in implementing the policy of promoting urbanisation associated with urban economic development in our country; thereby helping Hue city create a shift in urban space, economic space, creating new development momentum for the locality, improving the quality of life, preserving and promoting the value of urban heritage and Hue’s cultural identity, making Hue the center of the region and the whole country in the spirit of Resolution No.54-NQ/TW of the Politburo.
In addition, based on the Project on reorganising district and commune-level administrative units for the 2023-2025 period of 51 provinces and cities with units subject to reorganisation (with 38 district-level administrative units and 1,166 commune-level administrative units), in 2024, the National Assembly Standing Committee completed reviewing and deciding on the reorganization of administrative units of these localities (reducing 9 district-level administrative units and 563 commune-level administrative units) in accordance with the requirements of Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW dated December 24, 2018 of the Politburo on the reorganization of district and commune-level administrative units and Conclusion No.48-KL/TW dated January 30, 2023 of the Politburo on continuing to reorganize district and commune-level administrative units for the 2023-2030 period.
This is an important basis for localities nationwide to soon stabilise their organisational apparatus, successfully hold Party Congresses at all levels towards the 14th National Congress of the Party; at the same time, contribute to streamlining the organisational apparatus, streamlining the payroll, reducing state budget expenditures, expanding development space, promoting the potential and advantages of localities.
7. The National Assembly approves the first national marine spatial planning in Vietnam
At the 7th Session, the National Assembly approved the Resolution on the national marine spatial planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050. This is a comprehensive, multi-sectoral, highly specialised and very complex national-level planning, established for the first time in Vietnam; is an important tool to concretise the “National Master Plan” and create a basis for managing activities of exploiting and using resources, protecting the environment, and conserving marine ecosystems effectively; thereby contributing to the formation of strong marine economic sectors, creating more livelihoods for people, ensuring national defense and security, maintaining sovereignty, sovereign rights and national jurisdiction at sea.
8. The National Assembly Standing Committee supervises the implementation of resolutions on thematic supervision and questioning from the beginning of the 15th National Assembly term
In 2024, the National Assembly Standing Committee successfully organized the questioning and answering activities at the 36th Session to review the implementation by the Government, state agencies, ministries and branches of 6 resolutions on thematic supervision and questioning of the National Assembly Standing Committee from the beginning of the 15th National Assembly term to the end of 2023 in 9 areas: industry and trade; agriculture and rural development; culture, sports and tourism; justice; internal affairs; security, order and social safety; inspection; court; prosecution.
This is considered the first “re-supervision” activity of the National Assembly Standing Committee during the 15th National Assembly term, showing that the resolutions of the National Assembly Standing Committee have been seriously and responsibly implemented by agencies, providing many synchronous solutions, creating positive changes and achieving specific results in most areas.
In addition, the National Assembly’s supreme supervision activities have made an important mark with the National Assembly's adoption of the thematic supervision resolution on implementation of legal policies on real estate market management and social housing development from 2015 to the end of 2023.
This is a highly topical, wide-ranging resolution, closely following the reality of life. Although the supervision period was very long, the Supervision Delegation implemented it very meticulously and scientifically, clearly identifying limitations and shortcomings and proposing comprehensive and specific directions and solutions.
9. Closely following the direction of the Party Central Committee, continuing to innovate and reorganise the apparatus of the political system to be streamlined, effective and efficient in the agencies of the National Assembly, agencies under the National Assembly Standing Committee, and the Office of the National Assembly
Immediately after the Central Steering Committee directed the implementation of the summary of Resolution No.18-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017 and issued Plan No.04-KH/BCĐ dated November 13, 2024, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man signed Resolution No. 1297/NQ-UBTVQH15 dated November 18, 2024 of the National Assembly Standing Committee establishing the Steering Committee on summarising the implementation of Resolution 18-NQ/TW in the agencies of the National Assembly, agencies under the National Assembly Standing Committee, and the Office of the National Assembly; at the same time, assigning specific tasks to each member of the Steering Committee; develop and promulgate a Plan to reorganise and streamline the agencies of the National Assembly and agencies under the National Assembly Standing Committee.
The National Assembly and National Assembly deputies are highly unified and exemplary, taking the lead in implementing the Party's policies; clearly defining the functions, tasks and relationships between agencies, especially agencies of the National Assembly and the Government, ensuring closeness and harmony in the national governance process. Reorganise and perfect the Ethnic Council, the National Assembly Committees, and agencies under the National Assembly Standing Committee to ensure effective and efficient operations; considering this one of the “key of the key” factors to innovate the activities of the National Assembly.
In addition, the agencies of the National Assembly, the agencies under the National Assembly Standing Committee, and the National Assembly Office, according to their functions and tasks, have completed the research and review of laws, ordinances, and resolutions related to the organization and operation of the National Assembly in particular and the political system in general, proactively proposed to the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee for amendments and supplements according to their authority, creating a legal basis for innovation, arrangement, and streamlining of the apparatus to ensure that the Party’s guidelines are implemented as quickly as possible when approved by the Central Committee.
10. The National Assembly of Vietnam continued to promote and strengthen parliamentary cooperation on bilateral and multilateral levels, contributing to the realisation of the Party’s foreign policy
The foreign affairs work of the National Assembly in 2024 has achieved many important achievements. Bilateral foreign affairs activities between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the parliaments of other countries are increasingly in-depth, stable, and sustainable.
The National Assembly’s multilateral foreign affairs activities have been increasingly effective and substantive, with a proactive spirit and active international integration at international and regional inter-parliamentary forums, contributing to enhancing the prestige of the National Assembly and the position of Vietnam in the international arena. In 2024, the National Assembly welcomed 39 parliamentary delegations from countries to visit Vietnam, including 10 delegations at the Chairman level and 8 delegations at the Vice Chairman level; organised 45 delegations of leaders of the National Assembly, agencies of the National Assembly, and agencies under the National Assembly Standing Committee, notably the State visit led by the Chairman of the National Assembly to China, the Russian Federation, to attend the 45th AIPA General Assembly and to pay official visits to Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, and Japan. International cooperation agreements signed between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the National Assemblies of other countries have contributed to promoting parliamentary diplomacy and foreign affairs activities of the Party and State.
