Vietnam’s Central Steering Committee for Institutional Perfection and Law Enforcement, chaired by Tô Lâm, has set an ambitious agenda for institutional reform, administrative simplification, and legal modernization to be achieved by the end of 2026. Tô Lâm emphasized the necessity for government agencies to produce tangible outcomes instead of merely symbolic initiatives. He called for reforms to be assessed through the completion of legal documents, the simplification of administrative procedures, the resolution of legal issues, and clear accountability from leadership.
The inaugural meeting in Hanoi saw the presence of senior leaders including Lê Minh Hưng and Trần Thanh Mẫn. Tô Lâm directed ministries and agencies to promptly implement the committee’s conclusions, establish monitoring mechanisms, and regularly report on completed tasks, any delays, and challenges that need higher-level intervention. The committee’s review covered priority areas such as strengthening the state economy, improving conditions for foreign investment, reducing administrative burdens, combating urban air pollution, and revising the criminal procedure framework.
In terms of foreign investment, the committee stressed the importance of adopting competitive policies that promote technology transfer, research and development, workforce training, green transformation, and digital innovation. There was a call for enhanced oversight of strategic investors and better regional coordination to attract foreign capital. Additionally, to tackle air pollution in major cities, officials proposed transitioning to outcome-based air quality management, supported by modern environmental monitoring systems, stronger early-warning mechanisms, and clearer accountability for pollution sources.
The committee also advocated for administrative reforms to become a permanent responsibility rather than a temporary effort, urging a shift towards greater reliance on post-inspection oversight and risk-based governance rather than excessive pre-approval requirements. On the front of judicial reforms, there is ongoing work to amend the Criminal Procedure Code to strike a balance between effective crime prevention and ensuring fairness, asset recovery, and support for socio-economic development.