In his concluding remarks, the PM underscored the guiding principle of “localities deciding, acting, and taking responsibility.” He said that decentralisation must go hand-in-hand with resource allocation, implementation capacity building, and enhanced accountability, while reinforcing oversight, inspection, and anti-corruption efforts.

The PM urged ministries and agencies to finalise and standardise data regarding the 28 draft decrees related to decentralisation and delegation of power from central to local levels. These must be appraised and incorporated into a report to be submitted to the Politburo by May 30.

He tasked ministries and sectors with reviewing and refining the content between now and June 10, based on feedback to ensure practical relevance and avoid overlap or omissions. Assigned Deputy PMs must ensure that the final decrees are issued no later than June 15. A national conference to disseminate the new regulations to local authorities is expected by June 18 at the latest.

According to the meeting, following the decentralisation process, 4,309 tasks remain under central government jurisdiction, primarily involving macro-level management, policy and legal formulation, long-term planning, and implementation of sectors requiring sophisticated infrastructure and expertise. Local governments are now responsible for 2,236 tasks.

Participating cabinet members acknowledged that the effective implementation of decentralisation must be accompanied by adequate resources, including budgetary, financial and human capital. However, the initial rollout has faced challenges due to delays and uneven execution, and requires ongoing refinement throughout the process.

Prime Minister chairs government meeting on law-building

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a thematic Government session on law-building in Hanoi on November 17 to discuss three draft law proposals concerning goods quality, water supply and drainage, and electricity (revised).