National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ (standing) gives an opening speech at the law symposium. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — With several important items on the agenda, including laws on land, health and electronic transactions, the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Monday opened the September law symposium under the direction of NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ.

At the session, the NA Standing Committee gave opinions on the draft amended Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.

This was a significant law project, which could be considered the backbone of the health sector, said Huệ.

The second law project considered by the committee was the Land Law (amended) to improve the effectiveness of land management and use, to turn Việt Nam into a high-income developed country.

The NA Standing Committee also discussed the amended Law on Electronic Transactions, Law on Prices, Law on Cooperatives and Law on Bidding.

As for the Law on Civil Defence, Huệ said that the NA Standing Committee considered it at the law symposium in August.

This is a new law project, which the Government is adjusting, and which the Politburo has issued a resolution on.

The Law on Civil Defence Project is related to several other laws, including the Law on National Defence, Fire Protection and Prevention, Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Law on Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control.

The committee also gave opinions on the draft resolution to pilot policies to further develop Buôn Ma Thuột City in Đắk Lắk Province.

In the session, the committee considered a draft resolution on car licence plates action and decided to add it to the NA's Law and Ordinance Development Programme this year.

As licence plates are considered public property that must be managed, exploited and used most effectively, this is a very important draft resolution which has been carefully prepared for many years.

Another part of the conference was given to a resolution on protecting state secrets in the NA's work before the committee gave opinions on solutions at toll stations and built-operate-transfer (BOT) projects.

NA Chairman Huệ emphasised that all content at the conference was substantial and important, with some new and difficult content.

He asked the representatives to carefully study and give insightful opinions on the contents to get the best discussion results.

At the discussion, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng presented the draft amended Law on Electronic Transactions.

The draft amended law has eight chapters and 56 articles. The amendments and supplements follow nine policies approved by the Government in Resolution No 152 on the law symposium in November last year.

The amended law has several new things.

For instance, the current law stipulates that:"Electronic transactions are not applied to the issuance of certificates of land use rights, ownership of houses and other real estate, documents on inheritance, marriage registration certificates, divorce decisions, birth certificates, death certificates, bills of exchange and other valuable papers." The amended law expands electronic transactions to all activities of social life.

Hùng said that the expansion would be conducted because digital technology was ready, popular, safe and reliable, meeting the requirements and supplementing the legal provisions.

The extension allows all eligible sectors to apply electronic transactions but does not make it compulsory.

The amended law supplements regulations on legal conditions when converting paper copies to electronic data and vice versa, and adds regulations on electronic certificates.

"The introduction of e-certificates and legal validity for this form is a great breakthrough to promote e-transaction activities," said Hùng, adding that many countries in their new law have also updated this content.

In addition, the amended law also supplements policies on the legal validity of e-contracts and adds provisions to contracts signed through an automated information system.

The amended law also adds regulations on data management, databases, and regulations for state agencies to promote electronic transactions, while transferring all transactions to digital systems, promoting digital transformation, and developing a digital Government, economy and society.

After a preliminary check of the amended law, the chairman of the NA's Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Lê Quang Huy agreed with the need to amend the Law on Electronic Transactions.— VNS