In his closing address, NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong praised NA deputies for showing their high sense of responsibility during discussions of pressing issues concerning people and voters across the country. During the question time, he said Cabinet members frankly spoke of the shortcomings and irresponsibilities for what has happed in their agencies and vowed to redress their mistakes.

Mr Trong said that the NA has asked the Government to instruct ministries and agencies to better implement proposed measures to sharpen their performances so as to further perfect the State apparatus and fulfill their tasks as expected by voters.

To make NA activities more efficient, Mr Trong suggested that the NA increase the question time between the two NA sessions to make it become a regular activity and a direct and effective inspection measure for the State apparatus, while timely dealing with issues which arise in society.

At the session, the NA passed 10 bills on social insurance, real estate trading, civil aviation, information and technology, cinematography, lawyers, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, standards and technical standardizations, legal assistance, and securities.

It also adopted three resolutions on national key projects and their investment plans, the five-year land use plan till 2010, and the five-year national socio-economic development strategy till 2010. 

Deputies also gave opinions on 13 more bills to be submitted to the next session of the National Assembly.

All the approved bills and resolutions aimed to further perfect the country’s legal system in keeping with the requirements of socio-economic development and international economic integration, stressed Mr Trong.  

Earlier, the deputies adopted resolutions on the five-year land use plan till 2010 and the five-year national socio-economic development plan till 2010, with an overwhelming vote.

According to the resolution on the land use plan till 2010, Vietnam will have about 26.2 million hectares of agricultural land, about 4.02 million hectares of non-agricultural land, and 2.88 million hectares of unused land.

The resolution asked the Government to instruct ministries, agencies and provincial People Committees to implement the 12 major solutions relating to land boundary disputes between localities, finalise law-regulated documents on land use plans in line with socio-economic development plans, establish land funds and accelerate public administrative reforms in land management.
NA deputies approved the resolution with 93.51 percent of votes in favour.

They later approved the resolution on the national socio-economic development plan till 2010, with 92.90 percent of votes in favour. Accordingly, by 2010, national GDP growth is expected to increase by 7.5-8 percent or more and GDP per capita will be between US$1,050-1,100. The agricultural sector will make up 15-16 percent of total GDP, industry and construction sector 43-44 percent, and the services sector 40-41 percent. The export value is forecast to grow by 16 percent annually. The annual budget contributions are estimated at 21-22 percent of GDP, and total social investment is projected to make up 40 percent of GDP.

The country also aims to create more than eight million jobs by 2010, reduce the unemployment rate in urban areas to less than five percent, the poverty rate among households to 10-11 percent, and the malnutrition rate among under-five children to less than 20 percent. It also aims to complete the lower secondary education universalisation by 2010, and about 40 percent of the workforce will be trained.