Institutional, legal reform key strategic breakthrough for development: NA Chairman

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man has requested placing institutional reform at the centre of national development, stressing that refinement of institutions and laws is a strategic breakthrough for the country’s advancement.

Chairing the fourth meeting of the NA Party Committee for the 2025–2030 term in Hanoi on March 16, Chairman Man, who is also Secretary of the NA Party Committee, said the legislature must play a pivotal role in building and perfecting development institutions as Vietnam enters a new stage of strong, comprehensive and sustainable development.

He noted that the meeting took place shortly after the successful organisation of the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 tenure. He attributed the election's success to the concerted efforts of the entire Party, armed forces and people under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat, headed by Party General Secretary To Lam.

He noted that the entire political system had been mobilised, with authorities at all levels directing the election work. Members of the NEC, along with election committees, election boards and polling teams nationwide, strictly complied with the regulations and guidance issued by the Party Central Committee.

Regarding the action programme of the NA Party Committee for implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, Chairman Man said it should clearly reflect a new development vision for the country as Vietnam enters an era of strong, comprehensive and sustainable development. He added that the NA must assume a central role in shaping development institutions.

The top legislator stressed that the action programme must truly serve as a guiding framework for all leadership activities of the NA Party Organisation throughout its term, ensuring strategic vision, strong action orientation and high feasibility.

Highlighting the importance of institutional reform, Man said the programme must underscore the view that improving institutions and the legal system constitutes a key strategic breakthrough for national development. Laws, he stressed, must become a driver rather than a barrier to development.

This requires a fundamental shift in legislative mindset, from a management-focused approach to one aimed at enabling development, he said. He added that the legislature should decisively address overlapping regulations, inconsistencies and limited feasibility while accelerating the building of a coherent, transparent and stable legal system in the areas of science - technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, digital economy and digital assets, fintech, as well as emerging sectors such as low-altitude economic space and outer space development.

The top legislator also called for further reforms to make the NA’s organisation and operation more professional, modern and effective. Efforts should focus on improving legislative quality to ensure every law adopted is stable and practical, while strengthening oversight so that supervision becomes an effective tool for controlling power and preventing corruption, waste and negative practices.

In addition, the NA must enhance the quality of national decisions on important issues, including strategic transport infrastructure and large-scale energy projects and new development models such as international financial centres and next-generation free trade zones, he said.

The Chairman also stressed the importance of Party building within the legislature, calling for a clean, strong and exemplary Party organisation. He noted that key priorities include streamlining the organisational apparatus, improving the quality of officials and civil servants, and building a team of capable and responsible NA deputies. He also asked for reforms to the evaluation of officials to ensure assessments are objective and closely linked to actual work results.

He asked the Standing Board of the NA Party Committee to promptly finalise and issue the action programme and conclusions of the NA Party Committee following the conference.

Regarding the legislative orientation project for the 16th NA to be submitted to the Politburo, he urged relevant agencies to quickly complete the dossier to ensure the highest quality before submission.

At the conference, the top legislator presented certificates of merit from the Standing Board of the NA Party Committee to three collectives for outstanding performance in 2025 and to Party members with five consecutive years of excellent performance from 2021 to 2025.