The conference was attended by Deputy Ministers Truong Thanh Hoai and Nguyen Hoang Long, along with leaders of departments and agencies under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Reporting at the conference, Ngo Duc Minh, Director General of the Legal Department, stated that 2025 holds special significance as the final year of implementing the 2021 - 2025 Socio-Economic Development Plan, at a time when the country is striving to achieve growth of over 8%. The entire political system is focused on restructuring the organizational apparatus, implementing a two-tier local government model and promoting decentralization and delegation of authority.

To meet these requirements, the sector has made substantial efforts in drafting a large volume of legal documents, while ensuring strict timelines and high standards of quality.

At the outset of 2026, the Minister of Industry and Trade issued Directive No. 02/CT-BCT dated January 16, 2026, and Decision No. 294/QD-BCT dated February 12, 2026, to guide and organize the implementation of key tasks under Program No. 12-CTr/BCD dated December 30, 2025, of the Central Steering Committee on Institutional and Legal Reform.

The conference candidly addressed shortcomings in the drafting and promulgation of legal normative documents, including the issuance of a certain number of documents outside the approved plan, delays in progress, and the need for amendments and supplements shortly after promulgation.

At the conference, participating units focused on assessing the current situation, analyzing objective and subjective causes, and proposing solutions and directions for the effective implementation of upcoming tasks.

Based on the report and discussions, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung commended the efforts of the units, noting that despite the heavy workload, tight timelines and emerging issues, the Ministry had largely fulfilled its assigned tasks. Nevertheless, he frankly pointed out existing shortcomings in law-making and institutional development within the Ministry’s areas of management, emphasizing that the core function of state management lies in the development of legal normative documents and policies.

The Acting Minister stressed that all units must clearly recognize three core objectives guiding the Ministry’s operations: maintaining socio-economic order; promoting socio-economic development in line with set goals, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and businesses. To achieve these objectives, the development and refinement of the legal framework remains a crucial instrument for fulfilling the Ministry’s state management responsibilities.

Regarding tasks ahead, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung instructed subordinate units to prioritize the timely and high-quality completion of tasks set out in the 2026 plan, eallocate and assign personnel in line with state management functions; strengthen training for civil servants in legislative drafting and the application of supportive technologies; establish consultation mechanisms with experts and associations; enhance monthly progress management; and improve quality through the development of legal databases and broader participation of non-state organizations.

​In the medium and long term, the Ministry must formulate a comprehensive and coherent Strategy for Institutional and Legal Development in the Industry and Trade sector, aligned with the Sector Development Strategy, the national Strategy for Institutional and Legal Reform, and the country’s broader Socio-Economic Development Strategy.

The Acting Minister also underscored the need to review and systematize the Party’s policies to ensure their timely and full institutionalization, identify emerging issues and new growth drivers, and incorporate them into the legal and policy-making process, thereby ensuring the effective implementation of the sector’s development goals in the coming period.