Lawmakers on September 17 agreed on the need to issue a draft decree regulating customs procedures for goods transiting Vietnam via the ASEAN Customs Transit System.
The issue was part of the ongoing 37th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee in Hanoi.
Submitting the Government’s draft decree, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung said this decree is necessary to create the legal basis for modernising customs procedures for goods transiting ASEAN countries, including Vietnam. The issuance will also improve Vietnamese businesses’ competitiveness and allow the best use of the advantages of the country’s geographical location in goods transportation.
Delivering a report verifying the draft, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Financial and Budgetary Affairs Nguyen Duc Hai said his committee supports the decree issuance to regulate customs procedures for goods transiting via the ASEAN Customs Transit System and to implement Protocol 7 on the customs transit system under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit.
The draft decree features regulations on some aspects that existing law hasn’t covered, along with several stricter regulations. Additionally, no stipulations in the draft run counter to existing law and the NA’s resolutions, he noted.
NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong stressed that the decree needs to ensure the connectivity of Vietnam’s customs sector with its ASEAN counterparts while guaranteeing the information system’s safety, as well as national interests and interests of organisations and individuals.
Echoing the view, NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien said basing on opinions of the parliament’s finance-budget and law committees, the Government should make sure that its decree will guarantee the country’s sovereignty and interests, along with interests of organisations and individuals.
Parts of the decree should be piloted first to gain experience before the whole document is applied, he noted.
Other participants in the meeting also asked the Government to continue directing the customs sector to enhance its capacity and intensify examination to prevent the abuse of transit for smuggling or trade fraud.
The fourth plenum of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) continued its second working day in Hanoi on October 6.
Delegates held group discussions on the CPV Central Committee resolution calling for stronger building and rectification towards a clean, strong and comprehensive Party and political system able to meet the country's development needs in the new era.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung will lead a high-level Vietnamese delegation on official visits to Laos and Cambodia from October 8 to 10.
The Communist Party of Vietnam always values its solidarity and friendship with the Hungarian Workers' Party and communist and workers' parties worldwide, which helps build political trust and supports Vietnam's relations with other countries, said key Party leader Tran Cam Tu.
In his opening remarks, General Secretary and President To Lam said that the 14th National Party Congress set out major orientations and strategic goals, while the second and third plenums adopted important policies on Party building, personnel, development and national defence. The fourth plenum must focus on creating conditions for effective implementation while preparing the theoretical, organisational and human resources foundations for the country’s long-term development.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Mexico and Panama Nguyen Van Hai noted that the visit is particularly significant as the first high-level exchange between the two countries in nearly 15 years, following then-President Ricardo Martinelli’s visit to Vietnam in 2012, and came shortly after the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.
"Panama can serve as a strategic platform for Vietnamese companies seeking greater access to Latin America and the Caribbean, while Vietnam represents an important gateway for strengthening Panama’s engagement with Southeast Asia", Ambassador Nubiela Ayala Modes confirmed.
The Vietnam Association of Former People's Public Security Officers must truly serve as a common home that fosters comradeship and solidarity among former public security officers and those who have contributed to the cause of safeguarding security and social order, said top leader To Lam.
General Secretary and President To Lam receives newly accredited ambassadors
Localities nationwide hailed effective and flexible directions delivered by the Government so far this year, resulting in positive nine-month socio-economic growth, and reaffirmed their commitment to achieving targets set for the whole 2026 at an online Government-locality conference on October 3.
The elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership shows that Vietnam and Canada increasingly view each other not simply as trading partners, but as long-term partners in addressing economic, technological and regional challenges.
National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man on October 1 sent a congratulatory letter to Vyacheslav Volodin on his re-election as Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia.
The top leader applauded the efforts of ministries, sectors, localities, social organisations, coaches, athletes, experts in developing physical education and sports in recent times, stressing that Resolution No. 08 has provided an important political foundation for sports development over the past 15 years, while Conclusion No. 70 set important orientations for the new period.
PSNews - Vietnam is recognised by its partners as an influential member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, with expectations that it will continue to demonstrate leadership when it hosts APEC for the third time in 2027, according to Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu.
General Secretary and President Lam urged JBIC to continue promoting the substantive implementation of projects under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), and step up discussions on potential cooperation within the framework of the POWERR Asia (Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia) initiative, including the development of strategic energy reserves.
Overhauling the Party’s leadership methods is an objective, inevitable and urgent requirement to elevate the Party’s governing capacity and combat strength and keep the political system effective in the new development era.
During the session, the NA Standing Committee will give opinions on a number of draft laws, namely the revised Land Law, the revised Housing Law, the revised Law on Real Estate Business, the Law on Legal Normative Documents, and the consolidated Law on the State Budget.
National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man coordination must go beyond finishing the agenda to improve the quality of NA decisions and Government enforcement; deal with policies rather than just paperwork, especially in the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena; and pin down final responsibility for each product, not just progress.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung asked the two countries' inspection agencies to build on their achievements by regularly exchanging information and experience, maintaining delegation exchanges, and coordinating inspections in areas related to bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation.
General Secretary and President To Lam demanded a sweeping review rather than piecemeal amendments to individual laws, so that people's rights are protected on a continuing basis.