Party General Secretary Tô Lâm speaks at the ongoing 10th session of the 15th National Assembly on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm outlined specific requirements for submitting feedback on the draft documents for the 14th National Party Congress at the ongoing 10th session of the 15th National Assembly on Tuesday.

The Party General Secretary emphasised that legal and institutional reforms aim to strengthen the rule of law and build a socialist state of the people, by the people, and for the people. However, he noted that challenges remain: while laws may be clear in principle, they are often difficult to enforce in practice, and policies that appear sound on paper can face significant hurdles in local implementation.

He urged to speak frankly about the root causes behind the gap between lawmaking and implementation. He questioned why some laws, decrees, and circulars, painstakingly drafted and comprehensive, still leave grassroots officials hesitant to act, businesses struggling to comply, and citizens confused. He called for clarity on where overlaps occur, where ministries and sectors interpret regulations differently, and where authority is delegated in ways that hold officials accountable for matters beyond their control.

The legal system must be “easy to remember, easy to understand, and easy to implement,” he stressed, adding that the wording of laws should be concise and unambiguous, leaving no room for misinterpretation, abuse, or evasion. Every policy, he said, must have measurable impacts, manageable risks, and, above all, must facilitate rather than complicate procedures. “A good law is not one that reads well but one that works in real life,” he remarked.

Regarding building a rule-of-law socialist State, the Party chief said Việt Nam must build a state that is strong but not overreaching; disciplined yet close to the people; decisive in action but humane, persuasive, and open to dialogue. Such orientations, he stressed, must be clearly articulated in the 14th National Party Congress's documents.

For decentralisation, delegation of authority, and organisational structure, he said authority should be delegated to lower levels when they can act more efficiently and closer to the people than higher authorities. However, it must be accompanied by sufficient resources, personnel, tools, and legal safeguards so that officials can act and take responsibility confidently for the public interest, without facing undue personal liability.

Regarding the two-tier local administration model, the Party chief urged delegates to provide concrete feedback on designing the system so that citizens remain close to the authorities, and public service delivery remains seamless.

He stressed the need for a strong link between the Party, the State, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations, and the people, noting that the Party should lead fully without overstepping, the government should act legally and responsibly, and organisations like the VFF should connect authorities with citizens, who actively participate in supervision and collaboration.

He also highlighted the Party’s leadership and governing role within the legal system and in practical administration, stating that as the ruling party, the Communist Party of Việt Nam bears responsibility before the people for the country’s development and residents’ daily lives, setting policies, supervising their implementation, and being accountable for the outcomes.

The documents to be submitted to the 14th National Party Congress cannot simply state “strengthen the Party’s leadership” in general terms, they must clarify that the Party leads to ensure all policies and laws truly serve the people, promote national development, safeguard independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, maintain political and social stability, and preserve the great national solidarity, the Party leader said.

The Party also leads efforts to combat narrow-minded sectoral or local interests, group selfishness, corruption, and wastefulness, while protecting those who dare to think boldly, act decisively, and take responsibility for the common good, he added.

He called for a comprehensive review of issues that remain unresolved or insufficiently addressed in the documents, warning that bottlenecks left unattended now would be far more costly to fix in the next five years.

The Party chief underscored that the shared objective of the Party, the National Assembly, the Government, and the people is clear and simple: a sustainably developing nation, a just and humane society, citizens empowered to succeed through their own efforts, and strict accountability for those who violate the law, with no exceptions.

He urged each NA deputy to speak frankly about what they truly observe, the concerns they hold, and the responsibilities they are willing to assume. He expressed confidence that, with their experience, close ties to voters, and personal integrity, they would fulfill this important task with distinction. —VNA/VNS