The spirit of innovation must permeate down to the commune level.

One of the important tasks of the Government is to ensure that the spirit of innovation of the "strategic quartet" permeates down to the commune level, said National Assembly Deputy Truong Trong Nghia (Ho Chi Minh City).

On the morning of May 23, National Assembly deputies discussed in their respective groups the results of implementing the socio- economic development plan, the state budget; the work of practicing thrift and combating waste in 2024; and the results of achieving the national goal on gender equality in 2024…

Nurture old motivations, focus on new ones.

During a discussion in the National Assembly delegation on the results of implementing the socio-economic development plan and the state budget, Deputy Tran Anh Tuan (Ho Chi Minh City) noted that although traditional development drivers continued to be quite effective in 2024, they will not be sufficient to maintain a high growth rate in 2025, especially given the complex developments in the world .

Concurring with the assessments of the National Assembly 's Economic and Financial Committee in its review report presented to the National Assembly, Deputy Tran Anh Tuan emphasized that the results of public investment disbursement and social investment attraction have not met expectations. "More decisive solutions are needed, not only reducing taxes but also loosening credit; encouraging businesses to strengthen both horizontal and vertical linkages; and enhancing the cohesion between different business sectors," Deputy Tran Anh Tuan recommended.

According to the delegate, given the current uncertainties in import and export, solutions are needed to mitigate shocks by diversifying markets, products and services, improving management and operational quality, and moving towards green and clean production.

Representative Tran Anh Tuan (Ho Chi Minh City) participates in group discussion. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Representative Duong Khac Mai (Dak Nong) highly appreciated the results in 2024 as well as the first months of 2025, notably the accelerated infrastructure development, the commencement of many projects and works, the active attraction of FDI, and the assurance of energy supply… The work of improving institutions has been accelerated.

However, the economy is still facing many difficulties, and businesses are also encountering many challenges. The delegate suggested that the Government continue to invest in improving institutions and reforming thinking; that law enforcement must be strict, and that decentralization and delegation of power must be clear, especially with the upcoming implementation of a two-tiered local government system…

According to the delegate, public investment remains slow and lower than the same period last year, therefore discipline in disbursing public investment must be strengthened. In 2025, comprehensive solutions must be implemented to boost public investment, and long-standing shortcomings in this area must be addressed.

"I don't know if there's any Prime Minister in the world who works as hard as our Prime Minister, holding meetings day and night, going to every construction site to supervise. Therefore, we need to strengthen decentralization and delegation of power, and enhance discipline in public investment," said Representative Duong Khac Mai.

Representative Phan Duc Hieu (Thai Binh) noted that the context in 2025 is very different from 2024; therefore, the top priority solutions are institutional reform, followed by prioritizing growth, macroeconomic stability, and addressing difficulties for businesses… This represents a shift in the order of solutions. Recently, the Politburo has issued a series of resolutions, demonstrating that the most important priority now is institutional reform and synchronization, with Resolution 68 on the development of the private economy being a very important milestone. The resolution clearly states the requirement to unlock resources and protect businesses.

However, according to MP Phan Duc Hieu, the experience of institutional reform in other countries shows that a Government-affiliated Institutional Reform Committee should be established to independently and proactively review regulations and procedures that need to be abolished or amended. It should not be left to individual ministries and agencies to conduct this review, as that would lead to self-inflicted harm. The Committee would proactively work with ministries and agencies in this field to accelerate the pace of institutional reform. Therefore, a specialized agency in this area is essential.

A view of the Ho Chi Minh City delegation meeting on the morning of May 23. Photo: QUANG PHÚC

Quickly institutionalize the full "four pillars"

Looking ahead to 2025, National Assembly Deputy Truong Trong Nghia (Ho Chi Minh City) believes there are two major challenges. Firstly, the issue of tariffs with the United States poses a significant risk to production and exports. Secondly, the streamlining of the administrative apparatus is a necessary step that will have a positive impact in the long term, but also presents considerable immediate challenges.

"The 'Four Pillars' – the four important resolutions of the Party – have covered all socio-economic issues, but they need to be comprehensively institutionalized. Meanwhile, in reality, there is still a phenomenon of conflicting approaches when it comes to specific regulations. The spirit of the resolutions is to reduce administrative procedures, but a series of 'sub-licenses' continue to spring up."

Representative Truong Trong Nghia (Ho Chi Minh City) participates in group discussion. Photo: QUANG PHUC

In practice, there is still a situation of "enthusiasm at the top but indifference at the bottom." The central government is very determined, but in some localities, civil servants are still sluggish and lack enthusiasm. One of the important tasks of the Government is to ensure that this spirit of reform permeates down to the commune level," said National Assembly Deputy Truong Trong Nghia.

Regarding social issues, Deputy Duong Khac Mai (Dak Nong) agreed with Deputy Truong Trong Nghia on the need to quickly address policies for those who lost their jobs during this restructuring. “The National Assembly has approved a budget of 44,000 billion VND, and the Government needs to implement it soon. These are people aged 40-50, past their youth, and they urgently need encouragement and policy support, because in some respects, they are the ones who sacrificed for this restructuring and streamlining revolution,” Deputy Duong Khac Mai emphasized.

For officials from merged provinces and cities who work far from home and face housing difficulties, the central government needs a policy to provide general support. If local authorities are left to decide independently, officials in areas without the necessary resources will face significant hardship. For example, after the merger of Dak Nong, Binh Thuan, and Lam Dong, officials from Dak Nong have to travel over 200km to work in Lam Dong, a journey that takes nearly 4 hours. This is very difficult without a support policy, as reflected by the Dak Nong delegate.

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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tinh-than-doi-moi-phai-tham-den-cap-xa-post796446.html