14th tenure National Assembly

Information

- Election date: May 22, 2016

- Rate of turnout: 99.35%

- Total elected deputies: 496 (as of June 20, 2020, the 14th National Assembly had 483 deputies)

- Structure of National Assembly:

+ Graduates and post-graduates: 98.79%

+ Ethnic minority people: 17.30%

+ Women: 26.80%

Characteristics and Marks of the term

After 35 years of “Doi Moi” (Renewal), Vietnam’s stature and strength have constantly been growing.
In particular, in the tenure’s final year, although the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters seriously impacted national development, thanks to the strength of the great national solidarity and the entire political system’s drastic engagement, Vietnam still managed to record many significant outcomes, including the pandemic being basically brought under control, economic growth gradually recovering and being maintained, people’s lives being stabilised, and the country’s prestige and standing promoted in the international arena.
Over the past five years, the 14th National Assembly has been the embodiment of the national solidarity bloc. It has renewed operations and been prudent and resolute in making decisions in a timely fashion. With its ultimate responsibility, the legislature has acted for the benefit of the people and the nation, and completed a heavy workload in terms of legislation and supervision, while making decisions on important issues and external activities.
- Legislative activities: 72 laws, two ordinances, and several resolutions issued
The 14th National Assembly continued to build and issue a huge volume of legal documents, institutionalised the Party’s policy, and translated the 2013 Constitution into reality, meeting the requirements of State management, socio-economic development, and international integration. The National Assembly and its Standing Committee issued 72 laws, two ordinances, and many resolutions. Through its legislative activities, the NA affirmed its role in building and completing the institutions of the rules-based Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In particular, during this tenure, it continued to renew the process of law and ordinance making as stipulated in the 2015 Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents, and enhanced discipline over the progress of law and ordinance building.
- Supervision activities: focusing on important or pressing issues in all fields
During this term, the National Assembly’s supervision was further strengthened and reformed, with focus placed on major and pressing issues for most sectors.
Q&A sessions saw many improvements, with legislators encouraged to keep answers brief and straight to the point. This allowed more deputies to join the debate and enhanced the quality of the sessions.
- Making decisions on various emerging, complex and unprecedented issues
Over the past five years, the National Assembly issued various important decisions regarding pressing issues with a great impact on socio-economic development, and security and defence, many of which were emerging, complex, and unprecedented.
The National Assembly adopted the first-ever medium-term public investment and financial plans for the 2016-2020 period to ensure the consistency of the finance and State budget sectors in both the short and medium terms and the efficient and sustainable use of financial resources.
In the face of adverse impacts from the pandemic and natural disasters in 2020, the National Assembly and its Standing Committee swiftly approved new policies and amended existing policies to ensure they are suitable to the requirements at each point of time.
Monetary and fiscal policies, indicators, and goals were reviewed thoroughly and with flexibility to resolve difficulties, revive business and production, keep inflation under control, stabilise the macro-economy, and ensure national financial security and social welfare in a timely manner.
The National Assembly decided to withdraw the advocation of investment in the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project; and passed the master project for and the advocation on investing in the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic and mountainous areas for 2021-2030, which is an extremely important, consistent, and comprehensive decision helping ethnic and mountainous areas promote their intrinsic strength and develop sustainably.
In particular, at the sixth session, the National Assembly elected Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to the post of State President.
The National Assembly also dismissed from office one deputy due to his serious mistakes and violations of the standards of National Assembly deputies, and erased the status of two ministers for the 2011-2016 term.
- National Assembly’s external activities: successfully organising APPF-26, AIPA Chairmanship Year 2020, and AIPA-41
The 14th National Assembly successfully hosted the 26th annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Chairmanship Year 2020, and the 41st General Assembly of the AIPA, in which the AIPA-41 was the first general assembly in AIPA’s history to be successfully organised via videoconference, demonstrating Vietnam’s proactiveness and responsibility and the adaptability of participating countries, leaving a good imprint on member legislatures and those of AIPA observers and international friends.
The National Assembly strived to boost friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with the legislatures of countries in the region and the world. To date, the legislature has established parliamentary ties with nearly 180 sovereign nations and been a member of many inter-parliamentary organisations and forums in the region and the world.
Bilateral diplomacy has helped promote legislative relations between the National Assembly and the legislatures of traditional neighbouring countries, ASEAN member nations, and countries in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific, creating a favourable international environment for national construction and defence. It has also contributed to strengthening relations between the National Assembly and the US, the European Parliament (EP), and the parliaments of member countries of the EU, promoting practical and extensive development of such relations.
Meanwhile, multilateral diplomacy work has contributed to raising the country’s position in the international arena. The National Assembly was elected, with a high number of votes, as Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Executive Committee (2016-2019 term), Vice Chair of IPU (2018-2019 term), and rotating Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) for the Asia-Pacific region (2019-2021 term).

Outstanding sessions

* First session in Hanoi from July 20 - 29, 2016

- The National Assembly elected:

+ State President: Tran Dai Quang

+ Vice State President: Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh

+ National Assembly Standing Committee: 13 members

+ National Assembly Chairwoman: Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

+ Prime Minister: Nguyen Xuan Phuc

+ Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court: Nguyen Hoa Binh

+ Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy: Le Minh Tri

+ Council of Ethnic Affairs and committees of the National Assembly: Committee on Legal 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; Committee on External Relations; Committee on Judicial Affairs; and Committee on Economic Affairs.

+ Secretary General: Nguyen Hanh Phuc

* Second session (from October 20 - November 23, 2016). The National Assembly passed the Law on Belief, the Law on Religion, and the Law on Property Auctions

* Fifth session (from May 21 - June 15, 2018). The National Assembly passed the Law on National Defence, the Law on Cyber Security, the Law on Denunciations, and the Law on Competition; while delaying the adoption of the draft law on special administrative-economic units.

* Sixth session (from October 22 - November 20, 2018). The NA:

+ Elected Nguyen Phu Trong as State President

+ Approved the appointment of Nguyen Manh Hung as Minister of Information and Communications (having removed Truong Minh Tuan from the position of Minister of Information and Communications on October 23, 2018)

+ Ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)

* The ninth session was held in two phases (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

- The first phase took place from May 20 - May 29, 2020. The NA held the sitting via teleconference, connecting the NA delegations in the country’s 63 cities and provinces.

- During the second phase, from June 8 - June 19, 2020, NA deputies met face-to-face, ratifying the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

* Eleventh session (from March 24 - April 8, 2021). NA deputies voted to officially dismiss the holders of the positions of NA Chairwoman, State President, Prime Minister, and cabinet members.

- The NA elected:

+ NA Chairman: Vuong Dinh Hue

+ State President: Nguyen Xuan Phuc

+ Prime Minister: Pham Minh Chinh

+ Three NA Vice Chairmen: Tran Thanh Man, Nguyen Khac Dinh, and Nguyen Duc Hai

+ Vice State President: Vo Thi Anh Xuan

+ Five members of the NA Standing Committee: Bui Van Cuong, Nguyen Thi Thanh, Nguyen Dac Vinh, Vu Hai Ha, and Le Quang Huy

+ Heads of three NA committees:

. Head of the NA National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Adolescents: Nguyen Dac Vinh

. Head of the NA Committee for Science, Technology and Environment: Le Quang Huy

. Chairman of the Committee for External Relations: Vu Hai Ha

+ Secretary General: Bui Van Cuong

+ Auditor General of the State Audit Office: Tran Sy Thanh

- The NA approved the appointment of:

+ Two Deputy Prime Ministers: Le Minh Khai and Le Van Thanh

+ 12 other Government members:

. Minister of National Defence: Phan Van Giang

. Minister of Foreign Affairs: Bui Thanh Son

. Minister of Home Affairs: Pham Thi Thanh Tra

. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Le Minh Hoan

. Minister of Construction: Nguyen Thanh Nghi

. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Nguyen Van Hung

. Minister, Chairman of the Government Office: Tran Van Son

. Minister, Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs: Hau A Lenh

. Minister of Finance: Ho Duc Phoc

. Minister of Education and Training: Nguyen Kim Son

. Minister of Industry and Trade: Nguyen Hong Dien

. Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate: Doan Hong Phong

- The NA adopted a resolution on piloting the arrangement of full-time deputies of the Hanoi People’s Council.

The 14th National Assembly lasted for five years (2016-2021) with 11 sessions.

Laws passed by the 14th National Assembly

  • November 17, 2016 :
    + Law on Belief and Religion
  • November 21, 2017 :
    + Law on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the Law on Overseas Representative Missions of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
  • November 23, 2017 :
    + Law on Public Debt Management
  • June 8, 2018 :
    + Law on National Defence
  • June 12, 2018 :
    + Law on Competition
    + Law on Cybersecurity
    + Law on Denunciations
  • November 15, 2018 :
    + Law on State Secret Protection
  • November 19, 2018 :
    + Law on Special Amnesty
    + Law on the Vietnam Coast Guard
    + Law on Anti-corruption
  • November 22, 2019 :
    + Labour Code
  • November 22, 2019 :
    + Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens
  • November 25, 2019 :
    + Law on amendments and supplements to a number of articles of the Law on Foreigners’ Entry into, Exit from, Transit through, and Residence in Vietnam
  • November 13, 2020 :
    + Law on Residency
    + Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contract
    + Law on International Agreements
  • November 17, 2020 :
    + Law on Environmental Protection
    The National Assembly adopted 135 resolutions, including 
  • July 21, 2016 :
    + Resolution on the number of members of the 14th National Assembly’s Standing Committee
  • July 22, 2016 :
    + Resolution on the election of the 14th National Assembly Chairwoman
    + Resolution on the Election of Vice Chairpersons of the 14th National Assembly
    + Resolution on the Election of Members to the 14th National Assembly Standing Committee
    + Resolution on the Election of the heads of the 14th National Assembly’s Ethnic Affairs Council and Committees
    + Resolution on the Election of the 14th National Assembly’s Secretary-General
    + Resolution on the Election of Auditor General
  • July 25, 2016 :
    Resolution on the Election of State President
  • October 23, 2018 :
    + Resolution on the election of State President
    + Resolution approving the Prime Minister’s proposal on the dismissal of Truong Minh Tuan from the post of Minister of Information and Communications
  • October 24, 2018 :
    Resolution approving the Prime Minister’s proposal on the appointment of Minister of Information and Communications
  • June 14, 2019 :
    + Resolution ratifying Vietnam’s participation in the International Labour Organisation’s Convention No 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining
    + Resolution on the establishment of a supervisory team on the “implementation of policies and laws on child abuse prevention and control”   
  • November 18, 2019 :
    Resolution approving the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic and mountainous areas for 2021-2030
  • November 27, 2019 :
    + Resolution ratifying the “Supplementary Treaty to the 1985 Treaty on the Delimitation of National Boundaries and the 2005 Supplementary Treaty”, and the protocol on land border demarcation and marker planting between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Kingdom of Cambodia
    + Resolution on continuing to perfect and increase the validity and efficiency of the implementation of policies and laws on fire prevention and control
  • June 8, 2020 :
    + Resolution ratifying the Free Trade Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the European Union
    + Resolution ratifying an Investment Protection Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the European Union and EU member states
    + Resolution ratifying Vietnam’s membership of the International Labour Organisation’s Abolition of Forced Labour Convention No 105
  • June 18, 2020 :
    + Resolution on recognition and enforcement in Vietnam of awards by investment dispute settlement agencies under the Investment Protection Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the European Union and its member states.
  • November 13, 2020 :
    Resolution on participation in UN peacekeeping operations
  • November 16, 2020 :
    Resolution on the urban administration model in Ho Chi Minh City