NA Vice Chairman Trần Quang Phương chairs the session, discussing the revised Law on Citizenship Identity on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI – Full-time National Assembly (NA) deputies have discussed draft laws, to be submitted to the legislature’s sixth meeting in October, at a conference in Hà Nội on Monday.

In his opening remarks, NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ noted that the conference, the fourth of its kind in the 15th tenure, is to make the best possible preparations for the sixth sitting.

The amended laws to be scrutinised in the conference includes the Land Law, the Housing Law, the Law on Real Estate Business, the Law on Water Resources, the Law on Telecommunications, and the Law on Citizenship Identity, along with the Law on Management and Protection of National Defence Works and Military Zones, according to the chief legislator.

Following the fifth meeting, which took place from May 22 to June 26, there have been many workshops and seminars to collect opinions of experts, agencies and organisations on draft laws.

The legal documents were also tabled for discussions in July and August sessions of the NA Standing Committee, Huệ continued, noting that the number of the draft laws to be debated at the conference is the biggest so far.

He asked the deputies to look into the harmony between the bills and major policies, orientations and principles, especially those linked with each other like the Land Law, the Housing Law, and the Law on Real Estate Business.

He emphasised the importance of a thorough review of the political and legal basis, constitutionality, legitimacy, uniformity, quality of the legal system, thus making no loopholes for corruption and other negative phenomena.

Huệ urged the deputies to carry forwards their sense of responsibility to join discussions, contributing quality opinions to the draft laws.

Also on the same day, the NA deputies discussed the revised Law on Citizenship Identity.

NA Vice Chairman Trần Quang Phương said that regarding the proposal to change the name of the Law on Citizenship Identity to the Identity Card Law, there were 17 opinions in favour of this change while 22 suggested keeping the current name of the law during the 5th session. They also proposed regulations on issuing appropriate documents for people of Vietnamese origin residing in Việt Nam but whose nationality have not yet been determined.

Nguyễn Thị Việt Nga, NA deputy in northern Hải Dương Province expressed her support for renaming it as the Identity Card Law. She argued that this name aligned better with the scope of regulation and the subjects covered by the proposed law, which included both Vietnamese citizens and individuals of Vietnamese origin residing in Việt Nam but without confirmed nationality.

She stated that this change would be in line with the policies, goals, and orientations in building the law.

Nga stressed that many individuals of Vietnamese origin residing in Việt Nam but without confirmed nationality were vulnerable, impoverished, jobless, homeless, and without proper documentation. Without an identity card, proof of identity, or personal history, these individuals would remain on the fringes of society, unable to access social welfare programmes, leading to various social burdens, she added.

Phạm Văn Hoà, NA deputy in southern Đồng Tháp Province argued that some delegates were concerned about the cost of changing the card's name. However, according to the draft proposal, individuals who already had identity cards with chips would not be required to replace them, thus not incurring additional expenses.

Furthermore, the scope of the identity card also covered the subjects of the law, including Vietnamese citizens and individuals of Vietnamese origin residing in Việt Nam but without confirmed nationality.

This was a new, appropriate, and necessary development. Therefore, the name change to the Identity Card Law was entirely in line with practical needs, he said.

In conclusion, NA Vice Chairman Phương stated that most delegates concurred with the report, and made some adjustments to the draft law.

"Regardless of the chosen option, it is essential to design regulations for issuing suitable documents in practice for individuals of Vietnamese origin without confirmed nationality," he emphasised.

The NA Standing Committee will direct the drafting agencies to fully incorporate the official opinions regarding the law's name into written documents. These will be submitted for review and approval by the competent authorities before being submitted for approval at the 6th session in October. – VNS