On the morning of May 28th, at the National Conference of People's Councils to implement the direction, tasks and solutions of the People's Councils for the 2026-2031 term, Central Committee member and Chairman of the National Assembly 's Committee on Delegate Affairs Nguyen Huu Dong reported on the organization and results of the activities of People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term.
Record for the number of sessions
According to the Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Delegate Affairs, the 2021-2026 term was a special one, with People's Councils at all levels operating amidst numerous challenges posed by the pandemic and global economic and political fluctuations. Simultaneously, with many changes in the organization, structure, and operation of People's Councils at all levels, the workload increased many times compared to previous terms, giving rise to many new, complex, and unprecedented issues. Provincial People's Councils have firmly affirmed their role as local state power organs, representing the will and aspirations of the people.
The first and most noticeable highlight of this term is the record-high frequency of meetings held to promptly address emerging practical needs. Since the beginning of the term, the People's Councils of provinces and cities have held a total of 1,950 meetings (including 669 regular meetings and 1,281 specialized meetings). On average, each locality held between 30 and 80 meetings, 1.5 times higher than the 2016-2021 term.
In particular, the number of thematic sessions accounted for an overwhelming proportion. This shows that the operational mindset of the People's Council has shifted significantly, no longer passively waiting for regular sessions, but proactively accompanying, "diagnosing" and resolving difficulties for localities as soon as urgent issues arise, such as budget adjustments, public investment, or personnel restructuring after mergers.
Many localities have set impressive figures, such as Ho Chi Minh City with 86 sessions (60 thematic sessions); Son La province with 50 sessions, Thanh Hoa province with 39 sessions; Hanoi city organized many sessions to decide on specific policy mechanisms...
In particular, during the transition year of 2025, the workload increased dramatically, with some areas holding as many sessions as one-third of the total number of sessions for the entire term. Provincial People's Council delegates consistently achieved a high attendance rate (over 90%), maximizing their intellectual capacity and demonstrating a democratic and substantive parliamentary spirit.
Enacting groundbreaking policies
Alongside the increased number of sessions, the provincial People's Councils' decision-making activities also achieved impressive efficiency, passing 30,832 resolutions, 2 to 3 times higher than the previous term. Of these, 8,627 were normative legal resolutions (accounting for 28%) and 21,012 were individual resolutions. During this term, the number of resolutions issued was 2-3 times higher than the 2016-2021 term, with a particularly sharp increase in 2025 compared to the remaining years.
Beyond mere numerical calculations, the policy decisions during this term were comprehensive, all-encompassing, and in-depth. Provincial and city People's Councils issued resolutions focusing on: socio-economic development, adjusting the medium-term public investment plan, allocating state budget estimates; and promulgating specific, breakthrough mechanisms and policies to unlock local resources (notably Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City). The resolutions also focused on addressing core social welfare issues, healthcare, education, environmental protection, handling urban order violations, and issuing land use rights certificates.
In particular, following the milestone of July 1, 2025 (the date of implementation of the two-tiered government model and the merger of localities into 34 new provincial-level administrative units), the provincial People's Councils swiftly reviewed, amended, repealed, or issued a series of new resolutions to create a unified legal framework, stabilize local government, and protect the legitimate interests of the people during the transitional period.
The speed of passing and issuing resolutions has improved significantly, with many resolutions being signed and issued just 1 to 3 days after the end of the session, affirming the urgency and professionalism of the People's Council committees.
Effective supervision through innovative methods.
Besides its decision-making function, supervisory activities during the 2021-2026 term have truly become a sharp tool to strengthen the effectiveness of the two-tiered local government apparatus. Provincial People's Councils nationwide deployed 4,072 supervisory delegations, collecting over 36,000 opinions and recommendations. Notably, the rate of resolving recommendations by competent authorities reached a very high level, over 86% (with more than 31,000 recommendations processed).
The oversight activities have seen comprehensive improvements in three aspects: In-session oversight through reports, the People's Council has expanded democracy and strengthened frank criticism of reports from the People's Committee and judicial agencies. The Standing Committee of the People's Council has assigned its committees to closely monitor and request periodic reports on pressing issues such as land, public investment disbursement, and administrative reform in order to identify obstacles early and propose solutions.
The questioning sessions closely reflected real-life situations: With 1,253 questioning sessions held during the term, the approach shifted to "quick questions, concise answers," getting straight to the point and thoroughly investigating the responsibilities of the heads of departments and agencies. The questions covered a wide range of topics, from COVID-19 prevention and control, investment project promotion, and public land and housing management, to wastewater treatment, food safety, and the overload of primary healthcare facilities. Live television broadcasts of these sessions allowed voters to directly monitor the authorities.
The confidence vote process was conducted seriously and effectively: Implementing Resolution 96/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly, in 2023, provincial People's Councils completed the confidence vote for 1,700 people holding positions elected or approved by the People's Councils. The results showed that 90.94% (1,546 people) received a "high confidence" vote. This process was conducted safely and in accordance with regulations, serving as an objective measure reflecting the prestige and competence of officials and deeply strengthening the trust of voters.
Alongside professional achievements, the application of information technology such as the People's Council software, paperless sessions (ECabinet), and document digitization via QR code has fundamentally changed the working methods of the People's Council towards a modern and professional direction.
Looking back at the 2021-2026 term, despite experiencing a turbulent second half with the reorganization of administrative boundaries and the transition to a two-tiered government model, the Provincial People's Council has excellently fulfilled its historical role. The impressive numbers of sessions, the enormous volume of groundbreaking policy decisions, and the continuously innovative oversight activities are evidence of a term of action and effectiveness, laying a solid foundation for the local development in the coming periods.
For commune-level People's Councils, in the early years of their terms, as well as after the reorganization of administrative units and the implementation of the two-tiered local government model, the commune-level People's Councils quickly stabilized their organization and maintained their functions and duties. The Standing Committee of the commune-level People's Council effectively performed its role in coordinating activities among the Committees and delegate groups; maintained regular meetings; proactively developed and implemented work programs, supervision programs, and prepared the content of the sessions.
The People's Councils at the commune level have initially applied information technology in document management, meeting proceedings, and monitoring the implementation of resolutions, contributing to improved operational efficiency. Digital transformation and capacity building training for commune-level representatives are being prioritized in many localities.
However, the operation of the People's Council at the commune level still faces some difficulties that need to be overcome, such as: the large geographical area makes it difficult to contact voters and understand the situation at the grassroots level; most representatives hold multiple positions, their capabilities are uneven, and their practical experience is limited; there is a lack of essential office equipment, and the internet infrastructure and equipment are not synchronized; the monitoring and follow-up of recommendations after supervision are not carried out regularly...
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/dau-an-hdnd-nhiem-ky-2021-2026-khang-dinh-vai-role-co-quan-quyen-luc-nha-nuoc-o-dia-phuong-975891.html
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