Standing Board of the Committee holds a session for the preliminary verification of the draft Law on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Unofficial translation from the Vietnamese original.
On the morning of 14 July, at the National Assembly Offices Building, the Standing Board of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs held a session to conduct the preliminary verification of the draft Law on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) under the Government's Submission No. 378. Colonel General Le Tan Toi, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, chaired the session. Lieutenant General Tran Duc Thuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, moderated the proceedings.
Colonel General Le Tan Toi, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, chairs the session
Attending the session were the Vice Chairmen of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs: Lieutenant General Nguyen Minh Duc, Major General Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Major General Nguyen Quoc Hung and Mr Dinh Cong Sy; full-time National Assembly deputies working at the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs; and members of the Committee.
Delegates from the Standing Board of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs
Lieutenant General Nguyen Minh Duc and Major General Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Vice Chairmen of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs
Also attending were representatives of the Standing Board of the Ethnic Council and of the Committees of the National Assembly. On behalf of the agency leading the drafting of the Law were Major General Nguyen Viet Dung, Director of the Legal Department, Ministry of National Defence; Major General Nguyen Dinh Hien, Commander of the Chemical Corps, Ministry of National Defence; together with representatives of central ministries and sectors…
Institutionalising the Party's guidelines and policies, ensuring national defence and security, and proactively pursuing broad and deep international integration
In his opening remarks, Colonel General Le Tan Toi, Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, stated that the National Assembly Standing Committee had decided to add the draft Law on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction to the 2026 Legislative Programme, and that it would be submitted to the National Assembly for comments and adoption at the extraordinary session (August 2026). Immediately after the draft Law was added to the 2026 Legislative Programme, the Government directed the drafting agency to urgently prepare and finalise the draft Law dossier in strict accordance with the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents.
Colonel General Le Tan Toi, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, delivers the opening remarks
The Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs emphasised that the Law is being promulgated to institutionalise the Party's guidelines and policies on safeguarding the Fatherland early and from afar, ensure national defence and security, proactively pursue broad and deep international integration, and perfect a synchronous, consistent and feasible legal system. The draft Law addresses the gaps and shortcomings of Decree No. 81/2019/ND-CP and the fragmentation of provisions across specialised legal documents, while also providing a legal basis at the level of law for measures that may restrict human rights and citizens' rights, as provided for in the 2013 Constitution.
View of the session
“The promulgation of the Law will also ensure the full implementation of Vietnam's international commitments under the international treaties to which our country is a party and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, contribute to a favourable and transparent investment and business environment, and at the same time promptly prevent and stop the risks of proliferation and proliferation financing of WMD in the context of rapid scientific and technological development and ever broader and deeper international integration”, Colonel General Le Tan Toi emphasised.
Colonel General Le Tan Toi, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, delivers the opening remarks
In a spirit of earnest and responsible work, Colonel General Le Tan Toi, Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, called on Committee members, representatives of National Assembly agencies, delegates from central ministries, commissions and sectors, and invited guests to actively contribute frank opinions on the Submission and the draft Law dossier, so that the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs could finalise its Verification Report for submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee.
The Vice Chairmen of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs
A Law on Countering the Proliferation of WMD is needed to address legal gaps and shortcomings
According to the Government's Submission, the promulgation of the Law on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction is an urgent requirement in order to institutionalise the Party's guidelines and policies on safeguarding the Fatherland early and from afar, before the country is in danger; ensure national defence and security; proactively and actively integrate internationally; perfect the Vietnamese socialist rule-of-law State; and build a synchronous, consistent and feasible legal system in response to the need to prevent and control traditional and non-traditional security threats in the new situation.
Major General Nguyen Viet Dung, Director of the Legal Department, Ministry of National Defence, presents the summary Submission on the draft Law
International, regional and domestic experience shows that the risks of proliferation and proliferation financing of WMD continue to evolve in complex and unpredictable ways, linked to strategic competition, regional conflicts, terrorism, transnational crime, rapid scientific and technological development and the globalisation of supply chains. As Vietnam becomes ever more broadly and deeply integrated internationally, and as the scale of trade, logistics, investment, technology transfer and cross-border financial transactions grows rapidly, state management of activities at risk of being exploited for the proliferation or financing of the proliferation of WMD is becoming increasingly urgent.
Delegates attending the session
The promulgation of the Law on Countering the Proliferation of WMD is necessary to address gaps and shortcomings in current legislation; to codify specific principles, grounds and management and control measures; to perfect the mechanism for countering proliferation financing and targeted financial sanctions; and to establish mechanisms for inter-agency coordination, information sharing, early warning, international cooperation and the provision of resources for implementation. In this way, the Law creates a consistent, transparent and feasible legal basis to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, protect national defence, security, economic security and human security, and at the same time create a favourable environment for lawful research, investment, production and business activities.
Delegates attending the session
In terms of its basic content, the draft Law has been developed by institutionalising the policies approved by the Government; carrying over the still-appropriate provisions of current legislation; and adding new issues arising from the requirements of implementing international treaties, United Nations Security Council resolutions and international standards on countering the proliferation of WMD, while ensuring consistency and coherence with legislation on national defence, security, counter-terrorism, anti-money laundering, chemicals, atomic energy, foreign trade management, customs, science and technology, and other relevant specialised legislation.
The Government submitted the draft Law to the National Assembly for consideration and adoption at the First Extraordinary Session of the 16th National Assembly (held in August 2026); the Law is expected to take effect on 1 July 2027.
Lieutenant General Tran Duc Thuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, moderates the session
Further review recommended to ensure consistency with related laws
Presenting the draft summary Verification Report on the draft Law on behalf of the Standing Board of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, Trinh Xuan An, a full-time National Assembly deputy at the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, stated that the Standing Board of the Committee and the agencies participating in the verification agreed on the necessity of promulgating the Law on the political, legal and practical grounds set out in the Government's Submission. The Law is being promulgated to institutionalise the Party's guidelines and policies on safeguarding the Fatherland early and from afar, ensure national defence and security, proactively pursue broad and deep international integration, and perfect a synchronous, consistent and feasible legal system.
Trinh Xuan An, full-time National Assembly deputy at the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, presents the draft summary Verification Report on the draft Law
“The promulgation of the Law will also ensure the full implementation of Vietnam's international commitments under the international treaties to which our country is a party and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, contribute to a favourable and transparent investment and business environment, and at the same time promptly prevent and stop the risks of proliferation and proliferation financing of WMD in the context of rapid scientific and technological development and ever broader and deeper international integration. On the above grounds, the Standing Board of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs finds that the promulgation of the Law is necessary and has sufficient political, legal and practical grounds”, deputy Trinh Xuan An emphasised.
Do Thi Viet Ha, full-time National Assembly deputy at the Committee for Law and Justice, speaks
Members of the Standing Board of the Committee and delegates at the session also agreed that the draft Law basically adheres closely to the Party's guidelines and policies. The content of the draft Law is basically consistent with the relevant provisions of the 2013 Constitution; the provisions on principles, management and control measures, asset freezing and suspension of activities all comply with the constitutional provisions on protecting national interests, social order and safety, human rights, citizens' rights and the principle of the socialist rule of law. However, they recommended a more thorough review of catch-all control measures and emergency preventive measures in order to avoid infringing on the freedom of business and property rights.
Le Hoang Hai, full-time National Assembly deputy at the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, speaks
The delegates also agreed that the draft Law basically ensures consistency with the legal system and compatibility with the relevant international treaties to which Vietnam is a party, and is feasible and responsive to practical requirements. At the same time, they recommended that the drafting agency continue to review the entire draft Law to ensure consistency with related laws (such as the Law on Atomic Energy; the Law on Chemicals; the Law on Foreign Trade Management; the Law on Customs; the Law on Anti-Money Laundering; the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools; the Law on Data; the Law on Electronic Transactions and other specialised laws), and limit provisions that duplicate or overlap in the course of application.
Lieutenant Colonel Le Ngoc Giap, Deputy Director of the Department of Domestic Security, Ministry of Public Security, speaks
The delegates also considered that ensuring consistency and coherence between the Law on Countering the Proliferation of WMD and related laws is a very important matter; it is therefore necessary to clarify the relationship between them and whether the Law on Countering the Proliferation of WMD or the specialised laws take precedence or apply concurrently in regulating the content of the draft Law, so as to ensure rigour, consistency and ease of implementation.
Mr Pham Van Toan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, Ministry of Science and Technology, speaks
The verification showed that the draft Law dossier had been carefully prepared by the Drafting Board in accordance with the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents, with many documents prepared meticulously and to a high standard, and that it met the conditions for submission to the National Assembly for comments at the thematic session on law-making (August 2026). However, the agency leading the drafting was requested to continue finalising the Impact Assessment Report on the new policies of the draft Law.
Delegates attending the session
Opinions also commended the drafting agency for thoroughly applying the policy of reforming law-making in the process of developing the draft Law, and recommended that it continue to review the draft Law so that it is genuinely a law that regulates matters of principle and stability, serving as a basis for consistent implementation, while giving full play to the Government's initiative and flexibility in management and administration.
Mr Pham Gia Bao, Deputy Director of the Anti-Money Laundering Department, State Bank of Vietnam
Through the verification, the delegates basically agreed with the title and scope of the draft Law, considering the scope to be quite broad and comprehensive, covering the prevention, detection, interdiction and handling of acts of proliferation and proliferation financing of WMD, including nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery, together with dual-use goods, end-user control, financial control and international cooperation. They recommended further study to clarify the scope of the Law as regards scientific research, international cooperation, technology transfer, technical services, digital services and new forms of knowledge transfer.
Lieutenant General Nguyen Minh Duc, Vice Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs
Major General Nguyen Viet Dung, Director of the Legal Department, Ministry of National Defence, speaks on behalf of the drafting agency to clarify a number of issues raised by delegates at the session
Concluding the session, Lieutenant General Tran Duc Thuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the verifying agency, thanked the delegates for attending the session and contributing many in-depth opinions on the draft Law, with strong agreement on the necessity of promulgating the Law on Countering the Proliferation of WMD.
Lieutenant General Tran Duc Thuan emphasised that the draft Law dossier basically meets the requirements of the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents and is eligible for submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee at its 4th session. Opinions at the verification session also agreed with the scope of the draft Law, while recommending further review to avoid overlaps with related laws and further impact assessment so that, once promulgated, the Law will be implemented effectively in practice and effectively prevent and counter the proliferation of WMD.
Lieutenant General Tran Duc Thuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, delivers the concluding remarks
Lieutenant General Tran Duc Thuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, also requested the drafting agency to proactively study and take on board the opinions expressed at the verification session, and stated that the Standing Board of the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs would study and finalise the Verification Report for submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee as prescribed./.
Source: Vietnam National Assembly Portal