Uniting and steadfastly elevating the country through difficulties towards sustainable development

the 14th National Assembly

The fifth session of the 14th National Assembly (NA) successfully finalised its entire working agenda and officially wrapped up after 21 days of sitting in an urgent and serious working spirit and a high sense of responsibility.

The meeting took place as the domestic situation continues to see strong transformations, with a lot of positive results being achieved. The whole country is focusing on bringing its existing potential into full play, while maintaining macroeconomic stability, and boosting business and production, with the aim of ensuring sustainable economic development. In addition, efforts have also been accelerated to ensure social security; strengthen national defence, security and foreign affairs; safeguard national sovereignty; step up the fight against corruption; exercise thrift; and combat wastefulness.

Performing its responsibilities to the country, the legislature continued to focus on law building, considering and approving seven law projects alongside draft resolutions, while commenting on nine other laws. They are the important law projects and resolutions, aiming to further institutionalise the Party's guidelines, especially the Resolutions of the Party Central Committee Plenums and the 2013 Constitution, towards protecting human rights and citizenship; strengthening national defence and security; reshuffling the State apparatus to make it more streamlined and efficient; and enhancing the prevention and fight against corruption and wastefulness. Notably, in the process of reviewing and discussing the draft Law on Special Administrative-Economic Units, the NA realised that this is a new and complicated field of various opinions, especially among the people. Therefore, the lawmakers decided to delay the adoption of the draft law in order to have more time for research and completion, aiming to ensure its quality and feasibility. Affirming that the legislators always listen to the people’s ideas, the NA has called on the people to put faith in the Party and State's decisions, especially the currently discussed draft laws, while promoting solidarity and unity, eagerly emulating in labour and production, as well as living and working in line with the law, and joining hands to build a wealthier and more prosperous country.

The NA also scrutinised a number of other important issues arising in the country’s socio-economic development process, including reports on the additional evaluation of the implementation of the socio-economic development and state budget plans for 2017, the implementation of the socio-economic development and state budget plans in the first months of 2018, recommendations and proposals from the voters and people, and the supervision outcomes of the handling of the voters’ recommendations that were sent to the fourth session of the NA. Notably, the NA implemented its supreme supervision of the enforcement of laws and policies on the management and use of State capital and assets at businesses, and the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs). This is an issue that the public are concerned about and they have suggested that it requires strong reform and needs to be closely monitored in order to prevent State assets from being lost and wasted, while combating negative acts and group interests. On that basis, the NA deputies adopted a Resolution on the NA’s supervisory programme for 2019, and a Resolution on the establishment of the NA’s supreme supervision team on the two issues of public and voters’ concern, including the implementation of policies and laws on urban land planning, management and use, and the implementation of policies and laws on fire prevention and fighting.

The fifth meeting of the NA continued to show renovations in terms of the methods of conducting the question & answer sessions, with a focus on face-to-face debates and dialogues over the issues with different opinions. The groups of issues chosen by the NA for the sessions were the important socio-economic issues of the public and voters’ concern. The Q&A sessions took place in a democratic, vibrant, straightforward and responsible atmosphere. The reforms in the Q&A sessions – brief questions and answers – brought about positive results, receiving appraisal from both the NA deputies and voters.

At the fifth meeting, the NA demonstrated the spirit that the whole country continues to build on the achievements; deeply understands the spirit of "discipline, integrity, action, creativity, and efficiency"; continues to drastically and synchronously implement the tasks and solutions set out in the resolutions of the Party, QH and Government; and proactively keep a close eye on the developments of the international and domestic situations in order to apply appropriate and timely responses. In addition, focus has been placed on settling any arising problems, overcoming shortcomings and weaknesses, removing difficulties and obstacles, researching suitable policies to boost the potential and advantageous areas, improving the business climate and enhancing national competitiveness, aiming to create motivation for socio-economic development.

The legislature asked the Government, levels, agencies, organisations, and localities throughout the country to design plans to effectively implement the newly adopted resolutions, ensuring the NA’s decisions are implemented in a comprehensive and effective manner in the socio-economic life of the country. The NA deputy delegations and NA deputies themselves should organise the meetings with voters to deeply grasp their ideas and legitimate aspirations and convey them to the NA, Government, and authorised agencies in a timely fashion. The NA requested the Government to promptly and strictly handle any acts of law violation.

With a high sense of responsibility before the people, the fifth session of the 14th NA came to a successful end with a lot of highlights, leaving a deep impression among the people and voters nationwide. The Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, should uphold the spirit of patriotic emulation and solidarity, while putting faith in the Party and State’s leadership, bringing into full play the internal power, while taking advantage of opportunities and overcoming difficulties and challenges, in order to successfully fulfill the socio-economic development plans. This will be an important foundation for the whole Party, Army and people to propel the country through all hardships and make breakthroughs in the new period.