Information

- Election date: July 27, 1997

- Rate of turnout: 99.59%

- Total elected deputies: 450

- Structure of National Assembly:

+ Workers: 4.66%

+ Farmers: 3.77%

+ Party members: 85%

+ Graduates and post-graduates: 91.33%

+ Ethnic minority people: 17.33%

+ Women: 26.2%

Characteristics and Marks of the term

The 10th National Assembly operated in a period of enhanced national industralisation and modernisation. It was responsible for continuing to institutionalise Party’s platform and strategies, and specifying the orientations and policies set by the eighth and ninth National Party Congresses.
The 10th National Assembly ensured the Party’s leadership, listened to and absorbed ideas from the people, and gradually reformed its operation content and methods, thus improving its efficiency and securing a higher level of trust from the people.
Throughout its tenure, the 10th National Assembly passed 32 laws and codes, and 39 ordinances. Notably, it approved a resolution on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the 1992 Constitution, and institutionalised the orientations and policies of the Party on the basis of the resolution released by the 9th National Party Congress. The National Assembly also promulgated the Law on the Vietnam Fatherland Front, aiming to create a legal foundation for the strengthening of the people’s great solidarity.
In order to meet economic development needs during national industrialisation and modernisation, the National Assembly and its Standing Committee prioritised the building and promulgation of laws and ordinances related to economic sectors, while focusing on issues related to enterprises, policies on investment, credit, banking, tax policy, anti-corruption work, wastefulness prevention, and regional and internatonal integration, including the Law on Enterprises, Law on Customs, Law on State Bank of Vietnam, Law on Credit Organisations, Law on Value Added Tax, Law on Corporate Income Tax, and Law on Insurance Business, as well as the revision of the Law on Special Consumption Tax, Law on Promotion of Domestic Investment, Law on Foreign Investment in Vietnam, and Law on Thrift Practice and Wastefulness Prevention.
Apart from prioritising the passing of laws and ordinances for economic development, the National Assembly and its Standing Committee paid attention to passing laws and ordinances in social fields. The National Assembly and its Standing Committee issued or amended necessary laws and ordinances, especially those related to pressing social issues.
The Law on Drug Prevention and Control was an important legal basis for preventing and combating this harmful social evil. The promulgation of the Ordinance on the elderly and the Ordinance on persons with disabilities manifested the attention from the Party and the State to those who made significant contributions to society but have now lost their working capacity, and those with disabilities, creating conditions for them to stabilise their lives and continue to contribute to society.
The National Assembly and its Standing Committee promulgated legal documents to promptly regulate the fields of culture, education, science, technology, and the environment, such as the Law on Education, the Law on Science and Technology, the Law on Water Resources, the Law on Cultural Heritage, the Ordinance on Goods Quality, the Ordinance on Protection of Consumer Rights, the Ordinance on Advertising, the Resolution on the renovation of the general education programme, and the Resolution on the universalisation of junior secondary education.
In order to strengthen the socialist legislation; promote democracy; maintain security, national defense, social order and safety; and ensure the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, the National Assembly and its Standing Committee promulgated a number of important laws and ordinances, such as the Criminal Code (amended); the Law on Marriage and Family (amended); the Law on Complaints and Denunciations; the Law on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the Criminal Procedures Code; the Law on Road Traffic; the Law on Vietnam People's Army Officers; the Ordinance on Cadres, Civil Servants; and the Ordinance on Lawyers.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee gave strict directions on the National Assembly’s supervision work. The NA supervision groups spent most of the time conducting checks at localities, production establishments, and businesses to collect information and study their challenges so as to join hands with the Government in settling issues in a timely manner. This helped improve the NA’s supervision efficiency.
The highlight of the tenure was that NA organisations sought suitable methods to keep a close watch on the post-supervision settlement of petitions in socio-economic fields, such as economic restructuring, renewal of State-owned enterprises’ operations, measures to prevent revenue losses and manage State budget, operation of judicial agencies, administrative reform, poverty alleviation, and investment in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, among others.
In making decisions on the nation’s crucial issues
Along with promoting legislation and supervision activities, the NA paid due attention and was more proactive in considering and deciding on the nation’s important issues.

Outstanding sessions

* First session in Hanoi from September 18-29, 1997

- National Assembly elected:

+ State President: Tran Duc Luong

+ Vice President: Nguyen Thi Binh

+ National Assembly Standing Committee: 14 members

+ National Assembly Chairman: Nong Duc Manh (until June 2001), Nguyen Van An (from June 2001)

+ Prime Minister: Phan Van Khai

+ Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court: Trinh Hong Duong

+ Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy: Ha Manh Tri

+ Council of Ethnic Affairs and committees of the National Assembly: Committee on Legal Affairs; Committee on Economic and Budgetary Affairs; Committee on Defence and Security; Committee on Culture, Youth, Adolescents and Children’s Education; Committee on Social Affairs; Committee on Science, Technology and Environment; and Committee on External Relations.

+ Head of Secretariat: Vu Mao

* At the seventh session (from May 9 to June 9, 2000), the National Assembly ratified the Land Border Delimitation Treaty between Vietnam and China.

* At the ninth session (from May 22 to June 19, 2001), the National Assembly elected Nguyen Van An as National Assembly Chairman.

The 10th National Assembly ran for five years from 1997 to 2002 with 11 sessions.

Laws passed by the 10th National Assembly

  • January 7, 2002 :
    Resolution No 51/2001/QH10 dated December 25, 2001 on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
  • December 26, 1997 :
    + Law on State Bank of Vietnam
    + Law on Credit Institutions
  • June 1, 1998 :
    + Law on Promotion of Domestic Investment (revised)
    + Law on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the Law on Export and Import Duties
    + Law on Special Consumption Tax
    + Law on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the Law on State Budget
    + Law on Vietnamese Nationality
    + Law on Water Resources
  • December 11, 1998 :
    + Law on Complaints, Denunciations