Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance consulted local officials on 6 November about a draft decree intended to guide parts of a proposed consolidated State Budget Law. The ministry said the draft contains 17 chapters, 147 articles and appendices and is being prepared while the National Assembly considers the bill.
Overlapping procedures
Officials from finance departments in central, Central Highlands and southern provinces attended the Ho Chi Minh City workshop. The World Bank and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs funded the event under a public financial management reform project.
The ministry said the government had submitted a bill combining the State Budget Law and the Public Investment Law for legislative consideration. At present, it said, agencies must meet both sets of procedures for the same budget-funded investment, from medium-term planning and annual allocations to adjustments, reporting and final accounts.
The ministry said duplication can lengthen implementation and disbursement. Revenue sharing and spending responsibilities between provincial and commune budgets also vary across localities.
The decree is intended to create an integrated management process that includes public investment, simplify procedures and clarify each level’s powers and responsibilities. Those are aims of the draft, not confirmation that a new process is in force.
Proposed timing and consultation
The ministry said the draft retains provisions it considers effective while restructuring them to align with the proposed consolidated law. It would replace several existing decrees and end certain provisions if adopted in its proposed form.
The ministry has asked the government to permit an expedited drafting procedure, targeting 1 January 2027 for the decree and law to take effect together. That date remains a proposal. Local officials’ comments and international experts’ experience are to be considered as the drafting body completes the text.