Politburo calls for comprehensive revision of the 2013 Constitution

Vietnam's Politburo has set a major direction for the upcoming term of the 16th National Assembly: to study, summarize, and comprehensively amend the 2013 Constitution to better fit reality and development requirements in the new period. This requirement is stated in Conclusion No. 17 signed by the Standing Secretariat, after the Politburo considered the National Assembly's draft legislative orientation. The document also clearly defines the overarching objective of the lawmaking agenda for the upcoming term. Accordingly, the legal system should provide a foundation to accomplish the development targets for 2026-2031. Looking ahead to 2030, Vietnam aims to have a legal system that is democratic, fair, transparent, and highly feasible, capable of encouraging people and enterprises to participate in development. The vision for 2045 is to build a modern legal system that approaches international practice. A notable point is the orientation to comprehensively amend the 2013 Constitution. This is seen as a foundational step, because the Constitution is the highest legal framework, governing the entire lower legal system. The revision aims to respond to major changes in development models, governance, and integration. Alongside that, legislative work will focus on refining institutions to develop rapidly and sustainably, building a socialist rule-of-law state, and operating an effective three-tier government model. The core of development will be redirected toward renewing the growth model, restructuring the economy, promoting industrialization and modernization, with science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation playing central roles. Societal areas are also included in the legislative directions, including cultural development, people development, modern education, and sustainable social governance. There is also a requirement to use resources efficiently, protect the environment, strengthen national defense and security, and accelerate international integration. In governance terms, the Politburo calls for agencies to promptly remove legal bottlenecks to unlock resources and achieve two-digit growth in the coming period. The three-tier government model should operate more effectively, linked to higher governance quality. A notable change is the approach to lawmaking: shifting from a mindset of control to one of service and development, placing people and enterprises at the center. The notion of “if we cannot manage it, ban it” should be replaced with a more flexible approach that accepts controlled risk and allows policy experimentation within the framework of law. Also, there is a push to reduce administrative procedures, abolish the license-and-approval regime, and create a transparent and more favorable legal environment for investment. Governance should move from pre-approval to post-implementation control, complemented by risk management. The Politburo also emphasizes controlling power in lawmaking, strengthening accountability, and preventing corruption and malfeasance. A clear requirement is to avoid cronyism or local interests interfering in the lawmaking process. Finally, the role of stakeholders in building law, especially leaders, should be enhanced, and there is a need to broaden social participation to leverage collective intellectual resources in improving the legal system.