Top legislator urges continued institutional reforms after administrative restructuring

National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn called for focused thinking, unified planning, and decisive action to enhance the legislative body’s role as an “institutional architect,” a “pillar of democracy,” a “locomotive of reform” and a “bridge for international integration” in the new era.

The National Assembly (NA), especially its advisory bodies, is responsible for further improving the institutional framework and ensuring that Party regulations and State laws are aligned with the new organisational model following the streamlining of the political apparatus and the restructuring of administrative units, stated NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn.

Chairing a meeting on Thursday with the NA agencies, the NA Office, and advisory bodies of the NA Party Committee to review the implementation of tasks in the first six months of 2025, and outline key tasks for the second half, the top legislator stressed that current efforts to streamline the organisational apparatus and restructure administrative units are only the initial steps.

Reviewing the key achievements in the January-June period, Mẫn highlighted that the NA has continued to improve the legal system for the new era; advanced institutional reform to create motivation for development; enhanced the effectiveness of its supreme oversight; and focused on critical areas while proposing bold and impactful solutions.

The legislative body has renewed its working methods by promoting digital transformation and technology application in its sessions. It also completed on schedule and with high quality tasks assigned by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat regarding the re-organisation of the apparatus in line with Resolution No 18-NQ/TW; and strengthened multilateral and bilateral parliamentary diplomacy, and proactively participating in and hosting international conferences and forums.

Mẫn urged relevant agencies to proactively implement tasks assigned in the resolutions and conclusions of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat, focusing on those outlined in Resolution No 60-NQ/TW issued at the 11th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee, Directive No 45-CT/TW on organising Party congresses at all levels, leading up to the 14th National Party Congress, and key resolutions.

Mẫn called for focused thinking, unified planning, and decisive action to enhance the NA’s role as an “institutional architect,” a “pillar of democracy,” a “locomotive of reform” and a “bridge for international integration” in the new era, with particular attention to the preparation of two important forums on supervision and law-making in the time to come.

According to the NA leader, some recently developed legal normative documents and implementation guidelines may still contain inconsistencies.

Therefore, NA agencies must proactively review and update them in line with new viewpoints and directives, and provide recommendations for revising, supplementing, or issuing new documents to better reflect current realities.

He also underlined the need to study and develop policies on providing additional funding support for localities to invest in and upgrade office buildings, construct staff housing, and equip facilities, IT infrastructure, and working conditions at commune-level public administrative service centres, thus increasing operational efficiency.

He demanded that relevant agencies focus on preparing for the successful organisation of the NA’s first Party Congress for the 2025–30 tenure.

Attention should also be paid to further promoting the legislature’s digital transformation, and strengthening communication and dissemination, and thorough understanding of the Party’s policies and regulations, and the State’s laws, particularly the laws and resolutions adopted at the ninth extraordinary session and the ninth session of the 15th NA, he said.

Presenting a report at the meeting, NA Secretary-General and Chairman of the NA Office Lê Quang Tùng stated that in the first half, the legislature closely coordinated with the Government and relevant agencies to advance the revision and supplementation of the 2013 Constitution; amend laws and resolutions related to the re-organisation of local authorities under the two-tier local administration model; and revise or issue new regulations to address institutional obstacles, promote socio-economic development, and lay a solid legal foundation for the country’s next development period.

Over the past six months, NA agencies have advised and supported the legislature in completing the largest volume of law-making work since the beginning of the term, reviewing and passing 38 laws and 52 resolutions, and giving feedback on six other draft laws.

The high consensus in passing laws reflects a unified legislative mindset toward institutional reform and driving national development, Tùng said.

On the same day later, NA Chairman Mẫn presented certificates of merit of the NA Standing Committee to collectives with outstanding and exceptional achievements in advising and serving the ninth session of the 15th NA.