The 11^th National Assembly (2002-2007 term) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam inherited outcomes and promoted the experiences of previous National Assemblies to make further progress and contribute to the nation’s achievements.

I – IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S FUNCTIONS AND TASKS

1 – Law-making is the primary function of the National Assembly (NA). Over the last five years, the Vietnamese NA has effectively realised its legislative function. It adopted a large number of bills and the quality of these bills has improved considerably, meeting the demands of reality, particularly of socio-economic development, the building of a law-governed State and the international economic integration process.

The 11^th NA passed 84 laws and codes, twice the number of those adopted by the previous NA. New laws included the Law on Supervisory Activities of the NA, the Law on Competition, the Law on Intellectual Property, the Law on Securities, the Law on Technology Transfer, and others. The laws and codes will adjust diverse aspects of social life, including development and completion of the State apparatus, renewal of the mechanism and the tools for State governance in the fields of economy, culture, education, science, technology, national defence and security, judicial reform, renewal and completion of the legal environment and the creation of favourable opportunities for the formation of different markets and the development of production and business. In general, these codes and laws chose to acquire the advanced law-making experience from other countries as well as meeting social needs in this country.

2 – Supreme supervision of State activities is an especially important function of the NA. These activities have been strengthened over the last five years and initially proved their efficiency and effectiveness. Every year, the NA, NA agencies and NA deputy delegations carry out supervisory activities as planned. Their supervision focused on urgent issues of public concern in all spheres including socio-economy, culture, education, science, technology, social safety and order, judicial activities and the issuance of legal documents by the Government and authoritative agencies. In addition to reviewing reports from authoritative agencies and individuals at its meetings, the 11^th NA strengthened its supreme supervision according to each special subject.

3 – The NA truly realised its decision-making function to decide the country’s major affairs, contributing to strengthening the Party leadership, securing political stability, consolidating the national unity in the political system, creating a legal foundation to successfully realise socio-economic tasks, constructing the State apparatus and taking the initiative in international economic integration.

At its 1^st and 9^th sessions, the 11^th NA elected chiefs of State agencies and ratified the appointment of cabinet members. These elections and ratifications were conducted in a democratic and legal manner and showed the NA’s high level of responsibility before the Party and the people.

The 11^th NA decided the allocation of the State budget, approved the annual State budget, decided policies on investment in the country’s major projects and created a legal foundation for the Government’s effective organisation, guidance and operation of activities.

In addition to home affairs, the NA also decided important external issues. It ratified the Agreement on the delimitation of the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the Gulf of Tonkin between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the People’s Republic of China; the Supplementary Treaty to the Treaty on the Delimitation of the State Border between Vietnam and Cambodia in 1985; and the Protocol on Vietnam’s WTO accession. These decisions created a legal foundation on which the Vietnamese Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies on external affairs and international economic integration could be firmly realised.

4 – The NA’s external activities. Prominent in bilateral external activities is that the 11^th NA consolidated and developed relations with neighbouring, ASEAN and northeast Asian countries, generating a favourable global environment for national construction and defence. It broadened and deepened relations with the US, the European Parliament, and parliaments of many EU countries. The NA also developed relationship with parliaments in African and central and southern American countries, while consolidating and accelerating traditional relations with parliaments in central and eastern European countries.

Relating to multilateral relations, Vietnam’s NA is a member of many inter-parliamentary organisations. It made positive contributions to these forums and proposed initiatives and constructive recommendations to make its activities more effective. In its term, the 11^th NA successfully held many important meetings in Vietnam, such as the 23^rd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO) General Assembly in Hanoi, the third Asian-Europe Parliamentary Partnership conference (ASEP-3) in Hue City; the Francophone parliament conference (APF) in Hue, the 13th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) conference in Quang Ninh province, and others. The successful organisation of those meetings marked a great development in Vietnam’s parliamentary diplomacy, making a realistic contribution to the regional and international integration process.

II – OUTCOMES OF THE RENEWAL OF THE NA’S ORGANISATION AND OPERATING METHODS

The number of deputies in the 11^th NA increased from 450 to 498; nearly 25 percent of them working full-time.

In this term, the NA renewed the law-making, supervision and decision-making processes when deciding major projects in the country. The renewal helped the NA successfully realise its functions.

Relations between the NA and all agencies and organisations in the political system have also been renewed to ensure and promote the leadership of the ruling Party, heighten the position of the NA, and strengthen the co-ordination between the NA and State authoritative agencies such as the State President, the Government, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Inspectorate, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organisations. These relations have been law-bound and specified by working regulations to help each agency and organisation effectively realise their functions.

III – PROMOTING ACHIEVEMENTS AND OVERCOMING WEAKNESSES TO BUILD A REALLY STRONG AND EFFECTIVE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

The 11^th NA obtained fine results in many fields, from the law-making process, supreme supervision and deciding the country’s major issues to external activities and renewal of organisation and working methods. The Vietnam’s NA has oriented its activities in the coming period to meet new requirements of the national construction and defence process in general and of developing the socialist law-governed State of Vietnam in particular. With this orientation, the NA will further strengthen itself to fully fulfil its tasks and rights relating to law-making, supreme supervision and decision of the country’s major issues to deserve the role and position of the people’s supreme representative and the supreme power of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.