Vietnam

Vietnam Net - E | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

During a recent working session leading up to the 14th Congress, Vietnamese delegates engaged in detailed discussions on draft policy documents shaping the country's future development. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highlighted lessons from the previous government term and stressed the importance of institutionalizing the Party’s resolutions to generate new growth drivers. He emphasized economic development as the central goal, with balanced focus on national defense, foreign affairs, security, culture, and social welfare. The Prime Minister pointed to a shift from reactive governance to agile, science-based policy implementation, citing Vietnam’s successful COVID-19 vaccine campaign and responses to global challenges as examples of this new approach. Looking ahead, he reaffirmed the ambition for double-digit economic growth by 2030, requiring bold reforms, strong project execution, and a dynamic mindset.

Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh underscored “self-reliance and resilience” as key principles underpinning Vietnam’s sustainable rise, aiming to reduce external dependency. He stressed that party documents must be concise, actionable, and clearly assign responsibilities, resources, and outcomes. National defense strategy should clarify allies and challenges while promoting dual-use defense industries to integrate economic and strategic interests. Delegates highlighted the need for concrete growth targets such as per capita income and the Human Development Index, and emphasized strengthening agriculture as a strategic sector with increased public investment to leverage private and foreign capital.

The focus on innovation, sustainability, and technology-driven growth was significant. Delegates from Ho Chi Minh City urged policies to elevate labor productivity, science and technology contributions, and green development. They highlighted Vietnam’s current overreliance on low-value manufacturing and called for digital economy strategies centered on AI, digital governance, and the digital society as new growth engines. Environmental concerns, especially water security and marine resource protection in the Mekong Delta, were also raised. Supporters of shifting towards knowledge-based, innovation-driven growth noted the intensifying global competition in technology and cyberspace and advocated for building strategic autonomy through knowledge power and coordinated diplomacy.

Central to the discussions was the role of the people as the foundation of Vietnam’s strength. Delegates called for clearer policy articulation on empowering citizens as agents of change and for detailed implementation plans to foster national unity and solidarity. Overall, the draft documents were seen as reflecting collective intelligence and will, providing a political foundation as Vietnam embarks on an era characterized by self-reliance, transformative growth, and national pride.

Vietnam Net - E | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Political Scandal or Corruption

At the 14th National Party Congress, Deputy Chief of the Central Inspection Committee Tran Van Ron reported significant progress during the 13th Party Congress term, noting that the Party’s inspection bodies handled an unprecedentedly broad and complex workload. They uncovered and resolved multi-layered violations across various sectors and localities that had previously caused public discontent, enforcing discipline with strictness and humanity, without exceptions or forbidden zones. Despite these achievements, Ron acknowledged ongoing challenges, including insufficient appreciation of inspection work among Party committees and weaknesses in self-checking and early violation detection.

Ron emphasized the importance of committed leadership, stating that effective inspection depends on top leaders taking personal responsibility and setting examples. He highlighted that discipline should protect the broader public interest, enforcing rules not merely to punish individuals but to strengthen governance by closing systemic loopholes. A key development during the 13th term was enhanced coordination between Party inspection, state audit, administrative inspection, and law enforcement, which enabled more decisive enforcement actions.

Looking forward to the 14th term, Ron called for bold reforms aiming to transform inspection into a central tool for political discipline and clean governance. This would involve focusing on prevention, early warning, and grassroots power control, tightening anti-corruption rules, and integrating them into public administration to structurally deter misconduct. Additionally, inspection agencies will pursue digital transformation to enable real-time, data-driven oversight, enhancing transparency and accountability through reforms in asset and income declarations. The ultimate goal is to develop a generation of inspectors who are morally upright, professionally skilled, and institutionally empowered to uphold Party discipline and integrity.

Quy định mới về điều kiện sản xuất, buôn bán thuốc bảo vệ thực vật

Bao Dien Tu | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Regulation

Decree No. 33/2026/ND-CP introduces updated regulations on the production and trade of plant protection drugs, amending Decree No. 66/2016/ND-CP to align with the Law on Investment and reduce business conditions as per Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1671/QD-TTg dated 05/8/2025. It revises requirements related to conditions, procedures, and authority for granting, re-granting, and revoking Certificates of Eligibility for Production and Trade of plant protection drugs.

For production, organizations must comply with Article 61 of the Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine, requiring that managers have a university degree in relevant fields and that workers receive chemical safety training. Production facilities must be located in industrial zones and adhere to national safety regulations for handling hazardous chemicals. Equipment used must also meet prescribed safety and technological standards.

In trading, individuals or organizations must ensure that sellers have at least intermediate qualifications or professional training certificates in related disciplines. Trading locations must be separated from food services, schools, and hospitals, with warehouses following safety standards including specific shelving requirements for retail storage.

Applications for Certificates of Eligibility for Production/Trade must include an application form and a statement of compliance with conditions. Submissions can be made in person, online, or by mail to the designated agency appointed by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. The agency will respond on dossier completeness within one working day for electronic or postal submissions. Certification issuance involves dossier appraisal, on-site inspections, and evaluation reports, with timelines of 20 working days for production certificates and 10 working days for trading certificates. The provincial chairman decides on issuance within five working days after appraisal.

Certificates may be revoked due to alteration, repeated administrative violations related to plant protection and quarantine, or other legally defined grounds. The authority for granting, re-issuing, and revoking certificates rests with the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Renewal dossiers must be submitted at least three months before certificate expiration for continued eligibility.