Presenting the appraisal report, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for National Defence, Security and External Relations Le Tan Toi said the committee agreed with the proposed amendments, which focus on clarifying the authority of agencies and individuals responsible for compliance inspections; procedures for checking vehicles, equipment, and locations when violations or suspected crimes are detected; and revising provisions to align with the current restructuring of state administrative bodies. The draft also proposes renaming the force to the “Environmental Crime Prevention Police.”

However, Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee, who is also Chairman of the National Assembly, suggested maintaining the current name of the force, stressing the urgency of issuing the ordinance amid increasingly complex and sophisticated violations that pose serious risks to public health, sustainable development and non-traditional security.

He also highlighted the need to reorganise the apparatus under the updated model, by transferring certain inspection powers from previous district to commune level or provincial environmental police units, supported by digital monitoring tools to strengthen oversight.

Local environmental police teams should be placed under commune-level police and focus on community-level patrols to close operational gaps and improve the handling of minor violations, he noted.

The Chairman also suggested expanding technological powers to detect environmental breaches in real time, particularly in border regions and waterways, and strengthening inter-agency cooperation, such as working with the Ministry of Agriculture on agricultural pollution, the Ministry of Health on food safety, and customs authorities to prevent illegal waste imports.

He also stressed the need to prioritise prevention and community engagement.

“No matter how many environmental police officers we have, enforcement will not be effective without strong public awareness,” said the top legislator, urging strict monitoring of industrial parks, export-processing zones and residential areas discharging wastewater into rivers.

Regarding performance measurement, Chairman Man recommended annual evaluations of enforcement outcomes, including the number of cases handled and reductions in pollution levels, using digital tools and modern monitoring technologies.

“This ordinance is a major step forward, but continued revisions will be essential as Vietnam grows in the 2026–2030 period to ensure economic expansion does not come at the expense of the environment,” he said.

Concluding the discussion, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong affirmed that the National Assembly Standing Committee appreciated the timely and coordinated efforts of the drafting agency, Government bodies and the appraisal committee. The Standing Committee agreed on the necessity of issuing the amended ordinance and endorsed its main contents.

The drafting agency was tasked with fine-tuning the text to ensure consistency with existing legislation and technical coherence. The Standing Committee agreed to retain the current name of the ordinance and replace “Border Guard Station” with “Head of Border Guard Station.” They also agreed to further decentralise authority to the commune level; strengthen the environmental police force at grassroots level; expand technological enforcement powers; and enhance inter-agency cooperation and community-based prevention.

The Standing Committee then voted to approve amendments and supplements to several articles of the Environmental Police Ordinance.

Lawmakers review environment protection progress under 2020 law

The 15th National Assembly plans to dedicate the entire day on October 28 to discussing a supervisory report and a draft resolution evaluating the enforcement of policies and laws related to environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 came into effect.