Speech by General Secretary To Lam at the opening session of the First Session, 16th National Assembly

Dear Comrades Leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly, Government, Vietnam Fatherland Front. Dear National Assembly Deputies of the 16th term. Dear distinguished guests, diplomatic delegations and international friends. Dear voters, compatriots across the country and the Vietnamese community abroad.

Today, the 16th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam opened its First Session - a session of particular importance, opening a new term for the highest representative body of the People, the highest state power body of our country.

This is a session to consolidate the State apparatus organization according to the Constitution; at the same time, it is a session focused on institutionalizing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, creating a legal, institutional and policy driving foundation for the country to enter a new period of development: rapid, sustainable, and rich in identity development, based on science and technology, innovation and the strong aspiration of the entire nation to rise up.

On behalf of the Party Central Committee, I warmly congratulate the very good results of the election of National Assembly deputies of the 16th term and People's Council deputies at all levels for the 2026 - 2031 term. I respectfully congratulate the National Assembly deputies and People's Council deputies at all levels who have been trusted and selected by voters nationwide. That is a great honor, but at the same time it is also a great responsibility to the Party, to the People and to the future of the country.

On this occasion, we respectfully acknowledge and highly appreciate the important contributions of the National Assembly, the 15th National Assembly deputies, and members of the People's Councils at all levels for the 2020-2025 term. In the past term, the National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels have made efforts to innovate the organization and methods of operation, improve the quality of legislation, supervision, and decision-making on many important issues, contributing to removing many institutional bottlenecks, restoring and developing socio-economy, consolidating national defense and security, and enhancing the country's international position. These results, along with the glorious 80-year tradition of the Vietnamese National Assembly, are an important foundation for the 16th National Assembly to inherit, promote and develop to a new height.

Dear National Assembly deputies, compatriots and voters nationwide.

The world is changing very quickly, very deeply in both breadth and depth. Strategic competition between major countries is increasingly fierce, world order and international law are facing many challenges. Supply chains, capital flows, technology and global markets are being restructured. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges are intertwined, increasingly directly impacting the environment and development space of each country. In particular, the breakthrough development of artificial intelligence, big data, digital technology and scientific and technological advances are fundamentally changing production methods, growth models, national governance methods and social life. In that context, whichever country is proactive in strategy, reforming institutions in a timely manner, liberating creativity, mobilizing the resources of the entire people, and seizing new opportunities, that country will surpass and develop.

Our country, with a history of 4,000 years of civilization, through 96 years under the leadership of the Party, 40 years of renovation, we have achieved great and meaningful achievements of the era. But we must also look straight at the truth that: the requirements of the new development stage are posing higher, faster and more drastic requirements on institutions, on growth models, on the quality of national governance, on policy response capacity, on implementation discipline and improving the living standards of the people. The 14th Party Congress has clearly defined the development goals to 2030, vision to 2045, and at the same time emphasized the requirement to innovate development thinking, unlock all resources, and maximize the strength of national unity. In that process, the National Assembly must innovate more strongly, more substantively, and more effectively to fully and worthily fulfill its Constitutional responsibility.

I want to emphasize: The National Assembly is the place that crystallizes the will, aspirations and right to mastery of the People; is the place to decide major issues of the country; is the place to transform the Party's policies into laws, policies and practical organizational strength. Each National Assembly deputy must always be deeply aware that they not only represent the constituency, not only carry the vote of confidence of voters, but also shoulder responsibility for the national destiny, for the people's belief, for the future of future generations.

From that spirit, I propose that the 16th National Assembly focus on effectively implementing the following 4 major tasks.

strongly innovate legislative work, build a modern, unified, stable, feasible and development-enabling legal system.

The National Assembly must focus on further improving the capacity to institutionalize and concretize the Party's resolutions into policies and laws; create a solid legal framework to successfully implement socio-economic development tasks in the 2026-2031 period and the following years. The legal system must truly become the institutional foundation of development, a tool to protect human rights, citizen rights, and a driving force to promote innovation, liberate production forces, and open up new development spaces for the country.

In the past time, although the legal system has been significantly improved, there is still a situation of overlap, contradictions, and lack of intercommunication; there are regulations that are unclear, unstable, and not keeping up with reality, increasing compliance costs, slowing development opportunities, and making it difficult for people, businesses and the enforcement apparatus. Therefore, the National Assembly needs to direct the overall review of the legal system, improve the structure of the national legal system, resolutely overcome the situation of "binding laws", overlapping, and pushing responsibility to sub-law documents; it is necessary to ensure that laws are promulgated and go into life, are easy for people to understand, easy for businesses to implement, and easy for state agencies to apply.

In particular, it is necessary to fundamentally innovate the thinking of building laws in the direction of creating development. Law is not only to manage what is already in place, but also to pave the way for the new; not only to adjust existing practices, but also to create the future; Law is not only to "pave the way" but also to "fix the road". For new issues, new fields, new models, new production forces, it is necessary to have an appropriate approach, boldly pilot, controlled, creating room for innovation and improving national competitiveness. The legislative process must be truly scientific, democratic, transparent, and listen to the voices of experts, scientists, international experience, businesses and the People. Each law must originate from national-ethnic interests, from the legitimate interests of the People; resolutely prevent and combat group interests, local interests, and all negative impacts that distort policies. It is necessary to strongly shift from the mindset of "making enough laws" to the mindset of "making laws for development"; from "good law on paper" to "good law in life". Implementation efficiency and satisfaction of people and businesses must be the highest measure of legislative quality.

Elevating the supreme supervision of the National Assembly in a substantive, sharp direction, going to the end of responsibility and results.

Supervision is a very important power of the National Assembly. But supervision cannot stop at detecting limitations or pointing out shortcomings. Supervision must truly become a tool to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of national governance; it must contribute to correcting it correctly, doing it better, removing bottlenecks, early warning of risks, and promoting action. In other words, supervision is not only to "check what has been done", but also to help "shape what needs to be done", early identify possible inadequacies and must reach the final question: has the problem been resolved or not.

I propose that the National Assembly in this term focus on supervising major issues, key areas, "bottleneck points of bottlenecks" in development; pressing issues that voters and people are concerned about; especially the implementation of major policies of the Party, the organization of law enforcement, the use of national resources, public asset management, thrift practice, anti-wastefulness, and accountability of state agencies. Each content of supervision must be associated with specific responsibilities, specific deadlines, specific products, and specific results; supervision based on data, evidence, quantitative indicators and clear comparisons between set goals and achieved results.

Along with that, it is necessary to strongly promote the role of the National Assembly's agencies, National Assembly Delegations and each National Assembly delegate in supervisory activities; and at the same time strengthen coordination between the National Assembly's supervision and the Party's inspection and supervision, inspection, audit and other state control mechanisms, creating a combined strength to promote the apparatus to act correctly, act quickly, and act effectively.

Improve bravery and vision when deciding on important issues of the country; decisions must be correct, accurate, and timely, for the long-term benefit of the nation.

Entering a stage of historical development, the country requires the National Assembly not only to make the right decisions, but also to make accurate and timely decisions; because delaying a policy decision can miss a strategic opportunity. Issues of socio-economics, state budget, public investment, national target programs, important national projects... are all major policies, associated with the fundamental and long-term interests of the nation and people, which must be considered comprehensively, scientifically, and carefully, but absolutely do not let delays become a bottleneck of development.

In the context of limited resources, the National Assembly must further improve the quality of policy analysis, strategic forecasting capacity and impact assessment; must choose the right major tasks, the right breakthroughs, the right key projects, the right key areas to focus resources; not spread out, fragmented, or evenly divided. Investment is not only for immediate growth, but must be invested to create new growth momentum, new competitiveness, and new development space for the country in the coming decades.

Each policy decision of the National Assembly must be placed in the overall national development strategy, in a rapidly changing international context, in the requirements of ensuring independence, self-reliance, security, safety and sustainable development. The National Assembly decides for the present, but must be responsible for the future. That is political bravery, strategic vision, legislative intelligence and the depth of a highest state power agency.

Continue to innovate the organization and methods of operation of the National Assembly towards modernity, professionalism, closeness to the people, closeness to reality and faster policy response.

In a constantly changing world, the National Assembly cannot operate at the old pace and in the old way. The National Assembly must have the ability to adapt faster, respond to policies more promptly, and decide issues faster but still tightly and correctly. It is necessary to continue to study to reasonably increase the number of sessions, diversify and flexilize the forms of activities of the National Assembly and its agencies, especially strongly applying digital technology, online forms and the digital ecosystem to improve timeliness, proactiveness and efficiency in considering and deciding policies.

It is necessary to continue to improve the quality and efficiency of the activities of each National Assembly deputy, especially full-time deputies; consolidate and further promote the role of the National Assembly Delegations to truly be a close bridge between the National Assembly and voters and the People; how to ensure that each deputy has both political bravery, professional qualifications, and critical capacity, and the ability to truthfully convey the voice of the People to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly must be more closely associated with the People; expand channels to receive and listen to the opinions of voters, the People, the business community, intellectuals, and scientists; strengthen publicity and transparency in its entire activities; build a digital, modern, and intelligent National Assembly, but first of all, it must be a National Assembly that is close to the people, understands the people, is for the people, and acts for the benefit of the people. When the people's hearts are listened to, when people's opinions are reflected truthfully, when policies originate from real life, the National Assembly will be stronger, the State will be stronger, and social trust will be greater.

Dear National Assembly deputies, dear voters and compatriots nationwide.

The 16th National Assembly term has begun with an extremely great responsibility. I believe and expect each National Assembly deputy to constantly cultivate political bravery, improve their qualifications, capacity and sense of responsibility; truly be close to the people, be close to the people, understand the people, listen to the people, truthfully reflect the will and aspirations of the People; put national and ethnic interests first, first of all in every decision. That is the core quality of a people's representative in the new era.

Facing a new and historic opportunity for the nation, we have full grounds to deeply believe that: with the 80-year glorious tradition of the National Assembly of Vietnam; under the leadership of the Party's bravery and wisdom; with the consensus and support of the People; with the close coordination of the Government and the entire political system; with the spirit of democracy, creativity, enthusiasm and responsibility of all National Assembly deputies, the 16th National Assembly will surely excellently complete the responsibility entrusted by the Party, State and People; contributing to the entire Party, people, and army to realize the aspiration to build a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, firmly moving towards socialism.

Once again, wishing the leaders and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front; National Assembly deputies; distinguished guests and all compatriots and comrades health, happiness and success.

Wishing the First Session of the 16th National Assembly a great success.

Thank you very much!

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