According to report by two agencies in charge of drafting, both existing laws have been deployed and  significantly contribute   to build a comprehensive legal framework adjusting social security and public health protection. The Laws’ provisions  have proven efficiency, providing a basis for expanding social insurance coverage, raising public awareness of tobacco harm prevention, and safeguarding citizens’ rights and interests.

However, amid socio-economic changes and the new practical challenges, current policies have revealed shortcomings and limitations. Several provisions are no longer aligned with development requirements and have failed to keep pace with management practices and social reality, particularly in the context of population ageing,  labour market change, and the increase of new-generation tobacco products.

The working session is chaired by Đỗ Thị Lan, Deputy Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Social Affairs 

On this basis, the drafting agency affirmed that amending and supplementing two laws is an urgent requirement to address difficulties arising during implementation, while further refining the legal framework, ensuring coherence and consistency within the legal system, and meeting governance demand in a new development phase.

The Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15 (hereinafter referred to as the 2024 Law on Social Insurance) took effect from July 1, 2025. However, the drafting and adoption of the Law deployed prior to the issuance by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat on major orientation on restructuring organizational apparatus of the political system and the two-tier local government model. Subsequently, the NA and the Government promulgated a series of legal documents to institutionalize these new orientations, leading to fundamental changes in the functions, tasks, and powers of state management agencies and  implementing social insurance policies, as well as the cease of local intermediate level government.

In this new context, several of provisions of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance are no longer consistent with the current organizational structure. It is  necessary to  urgently review, amend and supplement to ensure the unity and coherence of the legal system.

The drafting agency stated that the draft Law does not expand or narrow the scope of regulation of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance. Instead, it maintains the existing scope and focuses on amending and supplementing provisions on state management and social insurance policy implementation, in line with changes in organizational models, functions, and responsibilities of relevant agencies. This approach is considered prudent, avoids major disruptions to social insurance benefits and policies that have already been approved by the National Assembly and are scheduled for implementation from July 1, 2025.

Illustrative image 

In addition, the draft Law concentrates on addressing technical and organizational issues such as adjusting the powers and responsibilities of ministries, industries, and VSS; reviewing provisions that are no longer compatible with the two-tier local government model; and ensuring consistency with newly enacted laws, including the Law on  Organization, the Law on of Local Government, and the Law on Inspection;… These measures are seen as solutions to align with the Law on Social Insurance with the current legal system, thereby facilitating effective policy implementation.

Clearly defining and limiting the scope of the draft Law adjustment and supplementation not only demonstrates legislative prudence but also ensures the stability of social security policies, while meeting urgent requirements for organizational restructuring and state management in the new context.

Besides, the Standing Committee of the Committee for Culture and Social Affairs also provided opinions on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms. This draft focuses on “closing” legal loopholes, particularly new-generation tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products while strengthening measures to reduce tobacco demand within the community.