Hanoi (VNA) – Since Vietnam’s very first general election on January 6, 1946, the National Assembly (NA) has stood tall as a powerful emblem of national unity and the highest organ of State authority, powering through eight decades of profound changes.
Eighty years alongside the nation
Over the past 80 years, the NA has guided Vietnam through an arduous path: from a fledgling state almost instantly engulfed by three decades of successive wars, through the long labour of reconstruction from a devastated, low-income starting point, to the emergence of a far more integrated and dynamic economy today. In each historical phase, the legislature has played a central institutional role.
Assoc. Prof. Tao Thi Quyen from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics noted that the NA convening after the 1946 election affirmed Vietnam’s newly-won sovereignty and the people’s right to mastery, formally declaring the country an independent and sovereign nation while laying the legal groundwork for its nascent democratic system.
The adoption of the 1946 Constitution during the NA’s second session laid the cornerstone of a rule-of-law state, defining the structure and operation of the state apparatus and, for the first time in Vietnamese history, enshrining fundamental human rights in constitutional text.
Between 1954 and 1975, Vietnam pursued dual missions: socialist construction and socio-economic development in the North, and protracted resistance war in the South. The NA enacted the 1959 Constitution, amended laws to suit the changing context, and passed key resolutions on political, economic, foreign affairs, administrative, and personnel matters, all intended to shore up the North’s development efforts and sustain the anti-US struggle farther south.
In 1965, with American bombs raining down harder on the North, the pressure of immediate national imperatives left little room for deliberation. Major policies concerning the anti-US war, wartime economic management, the long-term prospect of national reunification and foreign relations were presented without delay by the Government to the NA or its Standing Committee and received prompt approval.
Dr. Ngo Hoang Nam from the Institute of History under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences observed that the legislature’s activities contributed to strengthening the people in implementing the strategic offensive, paving the way for successive victories that culminated in the Spring 1975 triumph, the collapse of the US-backed regime in the South, the completion of the national democratic revolution and national reunification. Dr. Bui Ngoc Thanh, a former member of the NA Standing Committee and former head of the NA Office, pointed out that across 15 terms, the NA has convened 137 regular sessions and nine extraordinary sessions Since 1976, the NA Standing Committee has met between 10 and 14 times annually.
In constitutional and legislative work, the NA has drafted and adopted five constitutions, along with hundreds of laws and legal codes, while its Standing Committee has issued hundreds of ordinances. Together, the NA and its Standing Committee have passed thousands of resolutions, more than half of which contain legally binding provisions, according to estimates through the end of 2025.
Reform to meet new demands
As Vietnam sets its sights on a new development stage through 2045, the NA has moved purposefully to modernise its legislative, oversight and organisational functions to meet evolving national priorities.
In lawmaking, deputies are allocating more time to policy debate during the drafting stage and refining analytical processes, while procedural adjustments have encouraged more open exchanges and strengthened the role of individual members.
Amendments to the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents clarified that the NA focuses on broad principles, leaving detailed enforcement to the Government.
Decision making on major national issues has grown more structured, with clearer procedures and more frequent review cycles designed to improve policy quality and responsiveness to socio-economic needs.
Oversight and question-and-answer sessions have been streamlined for greater efficiency, with longer questioning time and new debate formats introduced to heighten accountability and public involvement. Legislative changes to oversight laws have added mechanisms to bolster monitoring effectiveness.
On the operational front, the NA has accelerated digital transformation, rolling out electronic document systems for lawmakers and trialing first-ever hybrid sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the current term, deputies have been provided with artificial intelligence tools to assist in document review and analysis.
At its 10th session of the 15th term, the NA passed a record 51 laws and 39 resolutions, targeting institutional bottlenecks and delivering policy breakthroughs to support political and socio-economic advancement in the years ahead.
