Deputy Nguyễn Tâm Hùng of HCM City speaks at the 15th National Assembly's ongoing 10th session on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Lawmakers highlighted the need to effectively exploit and manage rare earths, and have policies to protect this resource, when discussing the draft Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Geology and Minerals, and the draft Law revising several articles of 15 laws in the fields of agriculture and environment, during the 15th National Assembly (NA)'s ongoing 10th session on Monday.

Giving opinions on the draft Law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Law on Geology and Minerals, many NA deputies expressed strong agreement with the addition of a separate chapter on rare earths.

They agreed that this is a timely improvement of the legal framework, aligning with the global context of intense competition over strategic materials, renewable energy, and hi-tech supply chains. Identifying rare earths as an important resource that must be managed at the national level is consistent with the long-term development needs of the country.

According to Lâm Đồng province’s deputy Trịnh Thị Tú Anh, the draft law needs to affirm the principle of managing rare earths based on scientific foundations and strict risk control, in which environmental requirements must be set at the highest level.

Only enterprises with technological capacity, financial capability, and environmental management systems that meet international standards should be allowed to participate in the work, Tú Anh emphasised. The draft law should allow more flexible principles regarding rare earths to encourage investors with sufficient technological capacity and to avoid fragmented, unrefined exploitation.

Deputy Nguyễn Tâm Hùng of HCM City proposed carefully considering export control and minimum domestic deep-processing ratios to ensure that rare earths truly serve as a strategic resource for national industrial development, and avoid the risk of raw-material export and dependence on foreign technology in the rare-earth value chain.

In the morning of the same day, the NA approved amendments and supplements to the agenda of the 10th session, with 394 out of 399 present deputies voting in favour, accounting for 83.3 per cent of the total deputies.

Accordingly, the legislature added seven items to the agenda for consideration and approval, including the NA's draft Resolution on policies for national energy development for the 2026-30 period; the draft Resolution amending several provisions of Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 on specific policies for the development of HCM City; the draft Resolution supplementing several provisions of Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15 on the organisation of urban administration and specific policies for the development of Đà Nẵng city; and the investment policy for the Vinh–Thanh Thủy Expressway construction project.

They also included the second supplementary allocation to the 2025 state budget (from non-refundable foreign capital sources); the adjustment of certain contents of the NA's Resolution No. 94/2015/QH13 on the Long Thành International Airport investment policy; and amendments to Resolution No. 170/2024/QH15 dated November 30, 2024, on special mechanisms and policies to address difficulties and obstacles related to projects and land issues identified in inspection and audit conclusions, as well as court judgments in HCM City, Đà Nẵng City, and Khánh Hoà Province.

The legislative body will allocate specific time within the session agenda to consider and approve the draft Law on a specialised court at the international financial centre, and will also consider supplementing several matters, including special mechanisms and policies for implementing major projects in the capital city of Hà Nội. The schedule will be adjusted accordingly to ensure that the total working time of the session remains unchanged. — VNA/VNS