Legislators press buttons to vote on the Law on Protection of State Secrets on November 15 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The National Assembly adopted theLaw on Protection of State Secrets with 91.55 percent of deputies voting infavour of the bill on November 15.
The law consists of five chapters with 28articles, regulating the principles of state secret protection, internationalcooperation in the work, prohibited actions, scope of state secrets, and typesof state secrets, among others.
According to the law, the scope of state secretsis the range of important information in the 15 fields that haven’t beenpublicised, and if they are revealed or lost, national interests could bejeopardised.
The law stipulates that the Prime Ministerissues the lists of state secrets, and the heads of top agencies compile thelist of state secrets within their remits.
The compilers of the state secret lists, exceptfor the Minister of Public Security and the Minister of National Defence, areresponsible for sending dossiers to the Ministry of Public Security for verification.After these lists are verified, they will be submitted to the Prime Ministerfor approval.
The ministers of public security and nationaldefence directly submit the lists of state secrets under their ministries’remit to the Prime Minister.
The Law on Protection of State Secrets will comeinto force on January 1, 2020, replacing the Ordinance 30/2000/PL-UBTVQH10 onstate secret protection.
However, the regulations relating to thecompilation, verification and issuance of state secret lists, along with stipulationson the protection term and protection term extension will take effect onJanuary 1, 2019.-VNA
The 14th National Assembly passed a resolution approving the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and related documents in the afternoon of November 12 with 96.7 percent of votes.
The number of petitions and denunciations in 2018 increased by 11.8 percent compared to last year and the number of cases rose by 4.7 percent, said the Government’s report on the settlement of complaints and petitions delivered by Inspector General Le Minh Khai to the National Assembly in the morning of November 14.
The National Assembly approved a resolution on November 14 towards the allocation of the central budget for 2019 with a 90.31 percent approval rate amongst lawmakers.
National Assembly (NA) deputies discussed a report on the settlement of citizens’ complaints and petitions in 2018 as well as others on the verification of the report and the results of supervision over the handling of complaints and petitions that citizens sent to the NA this year, on November 14 as part of their ongoing sixth session.
Vietnam’s participation at the meeting underscores the country’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, and proactive international integration in a broad, deep, and effective manner. It also conveys Vietnam’s ambition and determination to enter a new era - the era of the nation’s rise.
The amended law will take effect on July 1, 2025, except for provisions on civil servant evaluation in Section 3, Chapter IV, which will be implemented from January 1, 2026.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s participation at the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin, China, reflects the Vietnamese Party and Government’s strong commitment to the Vietnam–China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, while injecting fresh momentum into bilateral economic and trade cooperation amid a volatile global economic landscape.
A key amendment was made to Clause 2, Article 16, which now stipulates that a child born to one parent who is a Vietnamese citizen and the other a foreign national shall be granted Vietnamese nationality, if both parents agree to choose Vietnamese nationality for the child during birth registration with competent Vietnamese authorities
PM Chinh's participation demonstrates Vietnam's strong appreciation and support for China. This, in turn, contributes to further promoting the positive development of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, aiming to build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future, which carries strategic significance.
At the WEF meeting in Tianjin, Vietnam continues to affirm its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation, as well as its proactive and active approach to comprehensive, extensive, and effective international integration
Vietnam always regards the RoK as an important and long-term strategic partner; and hopes that the two sides will work together to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a more substantive, effective, and comprehensive manner in the coming time.
Within the framework of the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, people-to-people exchanges and local cooperation have been priorities.
The merger of Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, and Ninh Binh aims to shape a modern, vibrant development space with Ninh Binh at its heart, transforming the region into a hub of smart and green industry and services by 2030, while preserving its unique identity as a national heritage centre.
While praising the efforts of ministries, sectors, and localities in tackling smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeiting, and intellectual property violations, PM Chinh acknowledged that in some places and at certain times, there has been lax enforcement and unclear jurisdiction, leading to increasingly complex developments in these issues.
At the working session, General Secretary Lam presented the Party Committee of the VFF and central mass organisations with the Politburo’s Decision No. 304-QD/TW, which outlines the new structure, functions and tasks of the VFF Central Committee, marking a significant step in improving its organisational effectiveness.
Describing the exhibition as a large-scaled, content-rich, and unprecedented event with high requirements and limited preparation time, PM Pham Minh Chinh urged all ministries, sectors, and localities to participate with the highest sense of responsibility, ensuring the exhibition is inclusive, objective, truthful, feasible, and impactful.
Vietnam’s attendance reaffirms its consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, and comprehensive, intensive, extensive and effective international integration.
Cheng stressed that this is third time PM Chinh has attended the meeting and he is among the few senior government officials participating in this year's event, which is considered as a rare and commendable gesture.
The fact that the Vietnamese PM has been invited to attend and speak at this important event for three consecutive years reflects the WEF as well as the international business community's recognition and high regard for Vietnam's position, role, and contributions to global and regional economic growth.
Legislators press buttons to vote on the Law on Protection of State Secrets on November 15 (Photo: VNA) 
