National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn chairs a meeting of the Steering Committee for reviewing legal documents on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn has described Việt Nam's largest-ever review of its legal system, launched under Conclusion No. 09 of the Politburo and directives from Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm, as a crucial push for institutional reforms, warning that the weak implementation could waste resources and undermine efforts to remove long-standing barriers to development.

Chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee for reviewing legal documents on Thursday, Chairman Mẫn, who is also head of the committee, said the review must be closely tied to development goals and answer two key questions: which regulations are hindering development, and which provisions are overlapping, contradictory, or outdated. Identifying those issues will help pinpoint concrete institutional bottlenecks instead of offering vague assessments.

He called for a review process that is accurate, focused and substantive. The NA Chairman also stressed the need to put people and businesses at the centre of the process by listening to practical feedback and widely consulting those directly affected by legal regulations.

The top legislator also urged ministries, agencies and localities to accelerate overdue tasks and focus the review on areas with major impacts on growth, including decentralisation, science and technology, innovation, development of the private sector and international integration.

He instructed relevant bodies to strictly follow implementation guidance and promptly report difficulties arising during the process.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), as the standing body of the Steering Committee, was tasked with operating a hotline to support ministries and local authorities during implementation.

Chairman Mẫn also underscored the importance of broad consultations with citizens, businesses, affected groups and law enforcement officials to identify legal obstacles and ensure the review delivers “accurate, targeted and substantive” outcomes. He stressed that the process must remain objective and scientific, while encouraging agencies to boldly propose amendments to outdated regulations, even if those rules fall within their own management authority or institutional interests.

Regarding regulations on decentralisation, administrative procedures, digital data and online public services, he said the review must align with Việt Nam’s two-tier local administration model. He added that recommendations should clearly specify which regulations need to be amended, supplemented, replaced or abolished, avoiding vague or impractical proposals.

The nationwide review has already recorded initial progress, including the issuance of guiding documents and the organisation of nationwide training sessions aimed at ensuring consistency in implementation.

The MoJ has also launched a dedicated section on the National Legal Portal to support the review process, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a list of international treaties to which Việt Nam is a party. — VNA/VNS