The National Assembly meeting on Monday to deliberate the State President and Prime Minister's reports of their 2016-21 tenure. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — Legislators lauded the outgoing Government's impressive work in its tenure, especially in the face of unprecedented headwinds in 2020, but said there remain various areas that need to be improved.

The National Assembly on Monday deliberated the working report of the 2016-21 term of the State President and the cabinet, delivered in front of the NA last week on the first working day of the 14th-tenure NA final session, by Party General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng and Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

Lê Thanh Vân, a deputy from the southern province of Cà Mau, agreed largely with the Government’s report, saying the Government displayed a clear inspiration for a prosperous Việt Nam, with a dynamic and active Prime Minister and a stellar response against the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the highlights of the outgoing Government is its commitment to slash onerous administrative procedures and remove roadblocks for businesses, Nguyễn Sĩ Cương, from Ninh Thuận Province, noted, hoping the next Government will deliver more effective measures for businesses to grow, especially to overcome the devastation caused by the pandemic.

Nguyễn Anh Trí, a legislator from Hà Nội, remarked that against upheavals in the last few years – not just the pandemic, but also natural disasters, complicated developments in the East Sea (known internationally as South China Sea), and growing tensions among world powers – Việt Nam has remained mostly stable, thanks to the clear-eyed leadership of the Party, the robust directions of the Government and the unity and solidarity of the people.

The strong measures Việt Nam is applying to contain the pandemic are clearly right, but he asked for speeding up the vaccine drive, including using social resources like private hospitals or even funding from the private sector to get better access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Đinh Thị Phương Lan, from Quảng Ngãi Province, urged the leaders to be more focused on preparations for coping with an ageing population as well as improving social welfare programmes.

Alongside economic growth, Lan asked that the next Government provide appropriate investment into culture and education to create a solid base for the country’s sustainable development.

A legislator from Phú Yên Province also focused on education, saying that creativity and empowerment of students must be the core philosophy of education and training.

Tô Thị Bích Châu, from HCM City, also shared the assessment that the best achievement of the outgoing Government in the 2016-21 term was to have maintained stable macroeconomic foundations and avoided severe disruptions to the economy, in addition to its pursuit of administrative reforms.

Châu put forward three proposals for the next cabinet – building towards a digital Government and a facilitating State; more attention towards the National Committee for the Advancement of Vietnamese Women; and expending more resources on the development of modern road systems in the country – especially in the Mekong Delta region and HCM City.

Also from the Mekong Delta, Nguyễn Thị Kim Bé of Kiên Giang Province said she shared the concerns of the Prime Minister over how the region has not developed to its full potential despite having been for long the country’s “rice bowl, fisheries centre, and fruit orchard”.

She urged the next NA and Government to study strategies and mechanisms for the Mekong Delta region to attain “breakthrough and sustainable development".— VNS