Revamping oversight of regulatory texts in 2026

Overview: On the morning of 14 April 2026, during the first session, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly reviewed a consolidated report on the results of supervising regulatory documents within the remit of the National Assembly’s committees for 2025. Le Thi Nga, Chair of the Committee on Administrative Reform and the Supervisory Body of the National Assembly (and Chair of the Committee on Nationalities) said that since consolidation and the formation of new bodies, the National Assembly’s committees continued the practice of supervising regulatory texts, and have conducted oversight on 602 documents. Many agencies carried out large-scale supervision of regulatory texts, contributing to improvements in the quality and effectiveness of the promulgation of regulations. Fundamentally, the government, ministries and sectors have made substantial efforts in implementing the recommendations of the National Assembly’s bodies from the 2024 supervision session and the 2025 quarters. According to the report, 26 supervisory recommendations were implemented, contributing to positive changes in the drafting and enforcement of laws. However, 25 recommendations remain unimplemented; some have been raised across multiple supervision sessions over many years. In 2025, the Government, the Prime Minister, ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies issued 352 documents detailing regulations that help laws, ordinances, and National Assembly resolutions, and Standing Committee resolutions take effect in practice. However, 173 documents were issued later than their required effective dates. The report also assessed that the regulatory texts adopted in 2025 largely ensured constitutionality, legality, and consistency with the Constitution, laws, National Assembly resolutions, and Standing Committee resolutions. The Standing Committee recommends the Government, the Prime Minister and the Ministries to focus on fully addressing the remaining limitations, specifically to finalize 25 recommendations from earlier supervision sessions; consider amending one Government decree and one circular from the Ministry of Education and Training whose content still fails to ensure coherence and practicality. Phó Chủ tịch Quốc hội Nguyễn Khắc Định noted that the oversight of regulatory texts by the National Assembly’s committees in 2025 has become more routine and reporting more methodical. In 2025, the volume of work in lawmaking surged; the National Assembly passed many laws, resulting in numerous implementing regulations. However, 2026 will likely involve even more work as most laws take effect that year. This context calls for stronger reform of the oversight of regulatory texts in 2026. “Recently, the General Secretary, the President, the Prime Minister, and the Chairman of the National Assembly have stressed that overseeing regulatory texts is increasingly important and must be a regular, continuous task of the National Assembly and elected bodies,” added Phó Chủ tịch Quốc hội Nguyễn Khắc Định. Earlier, the Standing Committee had given opinions on the Report on the results of monitoring the resolution of citizen petitions addressed to the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly; contributed opinions on the draft Report of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front summarizing voters’ and people’s opinions and petitions for the 1st session of the 16th National Assembly. Also in the morning session, the Standing Committee provided opinions on the draft National Assembly Resolution on certain breakthrough mechanisms for developing Vietnamese culture and on the explanation, reception, and revision of the draft Law on Belief and Religion (amended). The National Assembly plans to supervise administrative reform and food safety; the State Audit Office should be an important tool in supervising public finances and public assets; the National Assembly has passed a Resolution on specialized supervision and questioning. Keywords: supervisory oversight of regulatory texts; recommendations; Standing Committee; National Assembly. Upcoming topics listed in the page include governance reforms, and other related parliamentary oversight activities.