The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee opened its 40th session, the last of its kind this year, in Hanoi on December 17.

In her opening speech, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said at this sitting, the NA Standing Committee will review the outcomes of the recent eighth session of the parliament, give initial opinions on the preparation for the ninth session next year, and discuss the building of a development strategy for the State Audit between 2020 and 2030, with a vision to 2035.

It is set to look into the outcomes of diplomatic and international cooperation programmes in 2019, and consider external activities of the NA Standing Committee, the NA’s Ethnic Affairs Council and committees, friendship parliamentary groups, agencies of the NA Standing Committee, the State Audit Office, and the NA Office.

Besides, the NA Standing Committee is scheduled to make decisions on the organisation of district- and communal-level administrative units in 11 provinces, along with the establishment of Quang Thanh ward in Gia Nghia township and the establishment of Gia Nghia city in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong.

They will adjust the foreign capital-funded investment plan in 2019 among ministries, sectors and localities while assigning the medium-term investment plan using the central budget for 2016-2020 to the Vietnam Development Bank.

The NA Standing Committee’s agenda for 2020 will also be put under discussion during this session, which is set to last for one and a half days, according to the chairwoman.

Following the opening, participants scrutinised the organisation of district- and communal-level administrative units in 11 provinces and the foundation of Quang Thanh ward in Gia Nghia township and Gia Nghia city in Dak Nong province./