During a critical meeting in Hanoi, Tô Lâm, the head of Vietnam’s Central Steering Committee for Institutional Perfection and Law Enforcement, issued a clarion call for comprehensive reforms in the country’s institutional framework by 2026. He underscored the importance of achieving tangible outcomes in the fields of institutional reform, administrative simplification, and legal modernization, urging government bodies to focus on substantive progress rather than mere symbolic gestures.
The meeting, attended by top officials including Lê Minh Hưng and Trần Thanh Mẫn, marked the committee’s inaugural session. Tô Lâm emphasized that the effectiveness of these reforms should be gauged through the realization of concrete legal documents, streamlined administrative processes, the resolution of legal impediments, and ensuring that leadership is held accountable. He urged ministries and agencies to promptly act on the committee’s conclusions, set up robust monitoring systems, and keep the authorities updated on task completion, any delays encountered, and challenges that might need intervention at higher levels.
Priority areas identified during the meeting included fortifying the state economy, enhancing conditions for foreign investment, alleviating administrative hurdles, tackling urban air pollution, and overhauling the criminal procedure framework. In terms of foreign investment, the committee highlighted the necessity for policies that are competitive, fostering technology transfer, research and development, green transformation, digital innovation, and workforce training. It also stressed the importance of better oversight of strategic investors and improved regional coordination to draw foreign capital.
To combat the issue of air pollution in major urban centers, officials proposed a shift to outcome-based air quality management, backed by modern environmental monitoring systems and stronger early-warning mechanisms. This would ensure a clear accountability framework for pollution sources. Additionally, the committee called for a permanent commitment to administrative reform, advocating for post-inspection oversight and risk-based governance over excessive pre-approval processes.
In the arena of judicial reforms, there is a focused effort on reviewing amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code. The aim is to strike a balance between effective crime prevention and fairness, asset recovery, and support for socio-economic development. This comprehensive approach to reform is designed to ensure that Vietnam’s legal landscape evolves in a way that aligns with the nation’s broader developmental goals.