Vietnam's NA Standing Committee Opens 4th Session, Focusing on Legislation and Urgent Issues

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly of Vietnam commenced its 4th session on July 8 at the National Assembly House in Hanoi. Presided over by Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the session is scheduled to last for six days, divided into two phases. The primary focus is legislative work in preparation for the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly, slated to open in early August 2026. In his opening speech, Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that the organization of the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly demonstrates the high political determination of the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government to promptly institutionalize the Central Committee's guidelines and conclusions, address urgent and pressing issues without delay, and alleviate pressure on the year-end regular session. The session will review 24 draft laws and resolutions intended for submission to the National Assembly at the extraordinary session, two draft laws for the second regular session, and consider and adopt 10 ordinances and resolutions from the Standing Committee according to the 2026 legislative program. Additionally, opinions will be sought on three other matters within the committee's authority. Furthermore, the Government has proposed the inclusion of the revised Law on Housing and the revised Law on Real Estate Business for consideration and approval by the National Assembly through a shortened procedure at the first extraordinary session. Chairman Tran Thanh Man urged the Secretary-General of the National Assembly, the Director of the Office of the National Assembly, relevant committees, and Vice Chairmen overseeing specific areas to meticulously review these two draft laws to determine their eligibility for the extraordinary session's agenda. Currently, these two draft laws are not yet included in the Standing Committee's session schedule. The Government is therefore requested to finalize and submit the dossiers for review by the National Assembly's agencies. If they are to be considered by the Standing Committee alongside the revised Land Law, it is projected to take place on July 28. Given the substantial workload, Chairman Tran Thanh Man instructed the agencies to strictly adhere to discipline and the session's agenda. He stressed that any delays, postponements, withdrawals of content, or submission of dossiers close to the Standing Committee's review dates due to subjective reasons are absolutely unacceptable. The Chairman mandated that the Standing Committee must complete all contents for submission to the first extraordinary session within July. When providing opinions on draft laws and resolutions, the Chairman advised the Standing Committee to closely examine the practical implementation of the three-tier administrative model over the past year. He called for a thorough review of decentralization and delegation of authority regulations, and a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of each policy. This ensures clear definition of responsibilities, tasks, accountabilities, and authorities, enabling local authorities to implement them immediately upon the laws' effectiveness. Simultaneously, it is crucial to prevent legal gaps, overlapping authorities, or the shirking of responsibilities in the implementation process. Following Chairman Tran Thanh Man's opening address, the Standing Committee proceeded with the first agenda item: reviewing and adopting the revised Ordinance on the Procedures for the People's Courts to Consider and Decide on Compulsory Treatment for Drug Addicts Aged 12 to Under 18. Source: Nhan Dan