Vietnam’s National Assembly discussed a consolidated State Budget Law bill on the afternoon of 5 November, including questions about budget management and public investment. The Finance Ministry reports that Minister Ngô Văn Tuấn responded to lawmakers and outlined four principles guiding the drafting body.
Discussion and status of the bill
The minister said lawmakers raised 355 comments in group discussions, while 21 of 24 registered speakers addressed the plenary session on 5 November. The drafting body had prepared an 86-page response to comments from lawmakers and the reviewing body.
According to the ministry’s account of his remarks, the minister described broad agreement on the need to combine the State Budget Law and the Public Investment Law. That characterisation is his assessment of the discussion, not a recorded vote passing the bill. The drafting body said it would continue examining the comments.
Four principles under discussion
The minister identified four principles: reflecting new rules in budget and investment management; assessing the socioeconomic effectiveness of budget-funded spending, programmes and projects; safeguarding national financial security; and decentralising authority with local responsibility.
He said the proposed approach must balance development investment with resources for defence, security and social welfare. Borrowing and budget-deficit limits should remain within ceilings assigned by the National Assembly.
He also addressed detailed allocations and the carryover of funds. The draft specifies conditions for certain carryovers and a deadline of 31 December of the following year; those provisions remain under consideration.
The drafting and reviewing bodies are to continue refining the text. Any eventual legal obligations depend on the final enacted law and its effective date.