Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Thanh Tinh has underscored the need to further strengthen institutions and the legal framework as a key driver of national development in the new era, stressing that they play a pivotal role not only in state governance but also in ensuring a stable and transparent environment for sustainable growth.
In a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency, the official said that as the country enters a new development era targeting rapid and sustainable growth, requirements for institutional and legal reform are becoming increasingly stringent, requiring stronger renewed mindset and more proactive and flexible approaches.
Tinh provided an in-depth analysis of the role of institutions and laws over more than four decades of Doi moi (renewal), clarifying the spirit of “law as a driver of development” emphasised by the Party and the State. He also outlined key tasks that must continue to be carried out to ensure laws are effectively implemented in practice, remove bottlenecks, unlock resources, and serve as a vital engine for the country’s rapid and sustainable development in the time to come.
After 40 years of Doi moi, Vietnam has recorded tremendous, historically significant achievements in socio-economic development, international integration, and improvements in people’s living standards, Tinh noted.
Throughout this process, institutions and laws have consistently served as a foundational pillar, playing a decisive role in the country’s socio-economic development, he said, adding that the most critical breakthrough lay in transforming mindset on institutions and the legal framework.
Laws truly became a tool to “untie the knots,” creating a legal corridor for all economic sectors to engage in investment, production and business activities, marking a shift in the way the economy operated, and a fundamental transformation in the mindset of State management through the rule of law, the official said.
By promptly institutionalising the Party’s guidelines and policies, the legal system has been gradually built and refined. This process has enabled the effective mobilisation and utilisation of social resources, driving economic growth, maintaining social stability, and improving people’s living standards.
Sustained institutional and legal reform, grounded in practice, has underpinned Vietnam’s major development gains — transforming the country from a food-deficit nation into one of the biggest rice exporter in the world, and enabling deep integration into the global economy, thereby reaffirming the decisive role of institutions and law in national development, he said.
As the country enters a new development phase, laws are defined not merely as management tools but as instruments to drive development, dismantle bottlenecks and unlock new growth space—particularly in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, he said.
The official added that the piloting of special mechanisms, alongside iterative institutional refinement, reflects an innovative and flexible approach while maintaining legal discipline and order.
According to him, under the Party’s leadership, institutional building and reform in recent years have shifted markedly toward a more proactive, flexible and practice-oriented approach. Laws have gone beyond their traditional regulatory role to actively remove institutional obstacles, mobilise resources and create new drivers of growth. This approach represents a notable hallmark in the continued effort to build and perfect Vietnam’s socialist rule-of-law State.
In the time ahead, it is essential to promptly institutionalise the Party’s resolutions; strengthen discipline and accountability, particularly of leaders, in law-making; ensure quality and coherence in implementation; accelerate administrative procedure reform with a balanced pre- and post-inspection approach; and enhance policy communication while promoting the proactive role of citizens and businesses, the official stressed.
Only when laws are effectively translated into practice and become a solid “soft infrastructure” can they generate momentum for rapid and sustainable development in the new era, he went on./.
