After two back-to-back amendments in 2025, Việt Nam’s Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents is being amended once again.
The Latest: On Oct. 6, the National Assembly Office’s Dự thảo Online platform published the second draft of the Law on Legal Documents—the proposed new title for the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.
- This initiative was spearheaded by the Ministry of Justice.
- The 16th National Assembly is scheduled to deliberate and pass the revised legislation during its October 2026 session.
The Details: The submission states that the amendment is designed to “fully and promptly institutionalize” policies in the documents of the Party’s 14th Congress, such as building a legal framework fit for development in a “new era.”
The draft lets the government amend laws through decrees in two cases:
- Urgent issues that arise when the National Assembly cannot meet
- Technical adjustments to fix problems that may arise
Each authority will also be limited to issuing one type of legal document to streamline the process.
- For example, the state president can issue only orders—not decisions as before—among other changes.
The Background: Several laws have been passed and amended in quick succession in recent years.
- Other laws that were changed in June 2025 are up for amendment again, including the Penal Code and the Law on Handling Administrative Violations.
- So far in 2026, the National Assembly passed 15 laws, and the government has issued more than 380 decrees.
- At this year’s final session, the National Assembly is expected to consider 45 draft laws and resolutions. Major drafts include:
- The Penal Code (amended)
- The Criminal Procedure Code (amended)
- The Land Law (amended)
- The Law on Legal Documents (amended)
Why It Matters: The Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents was amended twice in a row in 2025:
- The first time on Feb. 19, 2025, effective April 1, 2025
- The second time on June 25, 2025, effective July 1, 2025
One notable change cut the minimum public comment period to less than a third of what it had been:
- 20 days under normal procedures
- Three days under shortened procedures
- No public comment at all in special cases
Addressing the volume of legal revisions, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn stressed on Sept. 28 that “the law must keep up with life, but keeping up does not mean constantly chasing life by amending laws.”
Lê Sáng wrote this news article in Vietnamese andpublishedit in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 9, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.