Law No. 64/2025/QH15 on Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents

Issuing authority, legal basis and effect

This Law No. 64/2025/QH15 was promulgated by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the basis of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Article 71 provides that this Law takes effect from 1 April 2025 and replaces the Law on Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents No. 80/2015/QH13 as amended by Law No. 34/2020/QH14. It governs the principles, competence, forms, order and procedures for formulation, promulgation, implementation, interpretation, supervision, inspection, review and systematization of legal normative documents in Vietnam.

System of legal normative documents and general principles

The Law defines the concept of legal normative document and establishes the hierarchical system of documents, including: Laws and resolutions of the National Assembly; ordinances and resolutions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly; orders and decisions of the President; joint resolutions between the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, the Government and central bodies; decrees and resolutions of the Government; decisions of the Prime Minister; resolutions of the Council of Judges of the Supreme People's Court; circulars of the Chief Procurator of the Supreme People's Procuracy, Ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies, and the State Auditor General; joint circulars; and resolutions of People's Councils and documents of local administrations at the provincial level. It sets out principles for construction and promulgation, requirements on language, form and drafting technique, rules on amendment and supplementation, replacement, abolition or suspension of effect, and obligations for sending and archiving documents, including on the national legal database.

Legislative programming and policy formulation

The Law provides for medium-term legislative orientation and the annual legislative program of the National Assembly, procedures for adoption and adjustment of the program under Articles 23 to 26, and cases where the summary procedure applies. For Laws, ordinances and resolutions containing legal norms, it establishes a policy formulation stage before drafting, including determination of policies by the proposing agency, impact evaluation of policies, collection of opinions and policy consultation, tham dinh of policies, and approval of policies by competent authorities. This stage ensures the necessity, feasibility and socio-economic impacts are assessed prior to drafting.

Drafting, tham dinh and verification (tham tra)

Drafting is organized by the agency in charge of drafting in accordance with Article 33 and Article 51, with requirements for dossiers, explanatory reports and comparative tables for amending documents. Draft Laws and resolutions of the National Assembly and draft ordinances and resolutions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly are subject to tham dinh by the Ministry of Justice or legal organizations, and to provision of opinions by relevant agencies. The Law details the verification (tham tra) of drafts by committees of the National Assembly, preparation of a report verifying the draft, consideration and commenting by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, and responsibilities of the presenting agency to revise and explain.

Order and procedures for consideration, passage and promulgation

Chapters governing Laws and resolutions of the National Assembly prescribe the order and procedures for examination and passage under Articles 39 to 43, including submission timelines (for example, dossiers to be sent at least 15 days and 10 days before sessions depending on the stage), deliberation, voting and promulgation by the President. Separate provisions govern ordinances and resolutions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly under Article 42, and simplified procedures for orders and decisions of the President, resolutions of the Council of Judges, circulars of the Chief Procurator, the State Auditor General, Ministers, joint circulars and resolutions of People's Councils under Articles 44 to 49. Article 50 and Article 51 define cases and competence for applying the summary procedure and the streamlined order and procedures.

Effect, implementation, supervision and technical handling

The Law regulates temporal effect (Article 53), spatial effect (Article 54), retrospective effect and temporary suspension of effect (Articles 55 to 56), expiry and application of legal normative documents (Articles 57 to 58), and organization of implementation, interpretation of the Constitution, Laws and resolutions of the National Assembly (Article 60) and guidance on application (Article 61) without altering normative content. It provides for monitoring by the National Assembly, supervision and inspection and handling of unlawful documents (Articles 62 to 63), review (comprehensive review of legal documents) and systematization (Articles 64 to 65), consolidation and codification of documents, the national database on law and application of information technology, responsibilities of agencies and persons, and guarantees of human resources, facilities and funding for law-making work.