Vietnam: 12th National Assembly session

As Vietnam Focus went to press delegates were gathering for the final session of the 12th National Assembly before May's elections. The session will last just over a week and will tackle only five new laws: on the prevention of human trafficking, government cryptography, independent audit, and an amendment and supplement to some articles of the Code of Civil Procedures and the Law on Capital. The body will meet again in late June for the first session of the 13th National Assembly.

One of the first items of business this week was the Vinashin affair. The Assembly has been very vocal in recent months, especially after its November and December session, in which delegate Nguyen Minh Thuyet from Lang Son attempted to bring a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for his mismanagement of the shipping conglomerate. His bid was ultimately rejected.

Vinashin was again a lead item in the final session, but those who hoped some blame would be assigned within the government will have been disappointed. On the opening day, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, who is the former minister for finance, announced that no individuals or organisations other those already under investigation would be held responsible for the mismanagement of Vinashin and its losses of $4.4 billion.

The Politburo considered that the violations outside of Vinashin itself were not serious and that those involved within the economic group had already drawn enough criticism and would learn from the events.

For more news and expert analysis about Vietnam, please see Vietnam Focus.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Vietnam vows to become a modern industrialised state by 2020

Vietnam's ruling Communist Party opened its 11th National Congress amid talk that its economic policy has steered off course. Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh said it is imperative to boost the economy, curb inflation and better manage state-owned firms in order to achieve modernisation and turn Vietnam into an industrial power.

“We must pay attention to the quality and efficiency of growth and sustainable development…We must combine economic growth with social progress and equality,” said Manh.

Over 1,400 delegates opened the meeting with the singing of the Communist anthem. The task in hand for the congress is to choose party leaders for the new central committee consisting of 200 members, who will be selected by the end of the nine day gathering in Hanoi.

In recent months, Vietnam has been beset by a trade deficit, mounting inflation and a near-bankruptcy of the state-owned shipbuilding conglomerate, Vinashin. Speaking about the plans for the country's future, Manh said that Vientnam aims to raise growth from 7 per cent to 8 per cent by 2020, and intends to triple per capita income to $3,000 in that time.

Manh told the congress that the nation must, "renew the growth model and restructure the economy to speed up industrialisation and modernisation with fast and sustainable development… The strategy is to strive towards 2020 so that our country will basically become an industrialised nation."

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who introduced the speakers and oversaw the proceedings, will find out this week, during the nine day gathering, whether he will be reappointed to the Politburo, a move that would secure him a return as premier when the National Assembly chooses government officials in May.

Sources: Bloomberg, VOVNews, Morning Star Online, BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Vietnam, please see Vietnam Focus.