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Key Events Việt Nam’s National Assembly Passes Constitutional Amendment in Just 43 Days New Decree in Việt Nam Hands Legal Licensing to Officials Who May Face Lawsuits Việt Nam Races to Clear Land for $67 Billion North–South High-Speed Rail Government Seizes Nearly 31 billion đồng in Counterfeit Goods in 30 Days FLC’s Trịnh Văn Quyết Seeks Lighter Sentence in Stock Manipulation Case Việt Nam Amends Constitution with Full Assembly Approval After 43-Day Process Việt Nam’s National Assembly has unanimously approved a resolution to amend the 2013 Constitution, marking one of the fastest constitutional revisions in the country’s history. All 470 deputies voted in favor for the change on June 16, concluding a process that took just 43 days.

The process formally began on May 5, when the National Assembly issued Resolution 194/2025, establishing a Constitutional Amendment Drafting Committee led by Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn. Between May 6 and June 5, Vietnamese citizens were invited to contribute feedback through the Ministry of Public Security’s VNeID app. According to the Ministry of Justice, more than 280 million responses were recorded, with a reported approval rate of 99.75%.

Unlike the previous amendment process in 2012–2013, this latest revision saw no public debate or critical engagement from independent scholars or civil society organizations outside of the state apparatus.

The final amendment, adopted on June 16, revised 5 of the Constitution’s 120 articles—specifically Articles 9, 10, 84, 110, and 111. The core change restructures local governance by eliminating the district-level administrative unit and formalizing a two-tier system consisting of provinces and communes. These changes are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

This amendment follows Conclusion 127 issued by the Communist Party’s Politburo on Feb. 28, which mandated that revisions to the 2013 Constitution be completed by the end of June 2025.

The original 2013 Constitution, which replaced the 1992 version, was seen as a significant milestone in Việt Nam’s constitutional history. However, the speed and tightly managed nature of the 2025 amendment process have sparked questions about public participation and transparency in policymaking.

From Central to Local: Việt Nam Hands Lawyer Licensing to Provincial Leaders On June 11, the Vietnamese government issued Decree 121, officially transferring the authority to issue, revoke, and reissue lawyer practicing certificates from the Ministry of Justice to provincial governments. Under the new regulation, chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees will now have the power to directly handle all licensing procedures for lawyers.

The decree is set to take effect on July 1, just over two weeks after its release. This marks a significant shift in the legal profession's regulatory structure, previously governed by the central authority. According to the 2006 Law on Lawyers, only the Minister of Justice held the authority to manage such licensing matters.

The move has sparked concern among legal professionals and observers. Critics argue that Decree 121 may conflict with higher legal statutes. Under Việt Nam’s Law on the Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents (2025), laws take precedence over government-issued decrees. A decree, though legally binding, must stay within the bounds of and align with the law it implements.

Lawyer Trần Đình Dũng of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association criticized the new policy, stating, “When a decree oversteps the scope of the law, it turns the legal system upside down.”

Legal experts also warn that empowering provincial officials—who may themselves be defendants in administrative lawsuits—to control the licensing of lawyers could compromise judicial impartiality. There are growing fears that this change could lead to abuse of power or conflicts of interest, especially as more lawyers represent clients in cases against local governments.

While the stated intent of Decree 121 is to streamline state management and enhance administrative decentralization, the decision raises deeper questions about legal consistency, the independence of the legal profession, and the protection of due process in Việt Nam.

High-Speed Rail Comes with a High Human Cost: Việt Nam Prepares for Massive Resettlement Việt Nam’s government is accelerating efforts to clear land for its ambitious North–South high-speed railway, one of the country’s largest infrastructure undertakings to date.

At a cabinet meeting on June 16, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà announced that over 120,000 households are set to be relocated from a 10,827-hectare area designated for the project’s construction.

Land clearance is scheduled to begin in August 2025 to ensure that groundwork is completed ahead of the project's expected launch before December 2026.

Approved by the 15th National Assembly in November 2024, the North–South high-speed railway project spans 1,541 kilometers and carries an estimated price tag of $67.34 billion ( 1.71 quadrillion đồng), making it the largest public investment project in Việt Nam’s history. The government aims to complete the project by 2035.

As preparations move forward, lawmakers are actively discussing special regulatory frameworks to encourage domestic firms to invest in and implement the project. Among the earliest contenders are VinSpeed, backed by billionaire Phạm Nhật Vượng, and THACO, led by businessman Trần Bá Dương. Both companies have submitted proposals to act as lead investors. However, neither has prior experience managing large-scale railway infrastructure projects.

The scope and cost of the high-speed rail initiative place it at the center of Việt Nam’s long-term development strategy, with the government underlining its importance for economic connectivity and modernization. Yet the massive scale of the land clearance, along with the potential social impact on displaced communities and concerns over investor capability, raises questions about implementation, oversight, and long-term sustainability.

The project will be closely watched in the coming months as the government balances the urgency of development with the demands of public accountability and technical feasibility.

From Saigon Square to La Phù, Hà Nội: Inside Việt Nam’s National Fight Against Fake Goods Between May 15 and June 15, Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade conducted a nationwide crackdown on counterfeit goods and smuggling, resulting in the inspection of 3,891 cases and the handling of 3,114 violations. The total amount in administrative fines exceeded 32 billion đồng, while confiscated goods were valued at nearly 31 billion đồng.

High-profile enforcement actions included the seizure of over 500 counterfeit luxury products in Đà Nẵng on May 20, the discovery of an illegal sock manufacturing facility in La Phù, Hà Nội, on May 26, and the confiscation of thousands of fake items at Saigon Square, Hồ Chí Minh City, on May 29.

During a National Assembly session on June 17, Representative Tô Văn Tám (Kon Tum) cited troubling figures: in 2024, authorities detected and dealt with more than 47,000 cases involving counterfeit and substandard goods. In just the first four months of 2025, over 34,000 similar violations were recorded, underscoring the growing scale of illicit trade.

In response, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is expected to finalize a draft law on e-commerce to tighten regulatory oversight of online sales platforms and strengthen enforcement against digital violations. The move signals a growing emphasis on curbing fraudulent practices in the rapidly expanding online marketplace.

Separately, on June 18, the Drug Administration of Việt Nam, under the Ministry of Health, conducted surprise inspections at 38 pharmaceutical and cosmetics facilities nationwide. Violations were found at 17 establishments, including two pharmaceutical retailers, five drug manufacturers, and nine cosmetic businesses. Infractions ranged from improper ingredient labeling to unauthorized advertising and product misrepresentation.

On the same day, the National Assembly passed a bill amending the Law on Product and Goods Quality, a legal update aimed at bolstering consumer protection and improving oversight of product safety and authenticity.

The crackdown, legislative updates, and upcoming regulations reflect the government’s intensifying efforts to combat counterfeit goods and restore consumer trust in both physical and digital marketplaces.

Investor Fraud Case Takes Turn as Trịnh Văn Quyết Offers to Pay His Way Out On June 17, the High People’s Court in Hanoi opened the appellate trial of Trịnh Văn Quyết, former chairman of the FLC Group, who was previously convicted of stock market manipulation and fraud. At the hearing, Quyết’s legal team requested a modification of the original sentence, proposing that his prison term for stock manipulation be replaced with a monetary fine.

The request came after Quyết and his siblings paid 2.5 trilion đồng ($95.6 million) to remediate damages following the first-instance verdict. Defense lawyers stated they no longer sought a reduction in compensation and instead asked the court to reduce Quyết’s sentence for “fraudulent appropriation of assets” and to commute the prison term for “stock market manipulation” to a fine.

The legal team also informed the court that an additional 24.5 billion đồng had been deposited in advance to cover any fines, should the court approve a sentence conversion.

In the prosecution’s closing argument, the People’s Procuracy recommended that the court accept the appeal for leniency. It proposed reducing Quyết’s prison sentence for fraud from 21 years to 7–8 years and converting the penalty for stock manipulation to a fine of 4 billion đồng.

However, the appellate trial unfolded amid new concerns. A day before the hearing, attorney Ngô Anh Tuấn—representing nearly 50 households suing FLC for unpaid apartment rentals at the FLC Grand Hotel Hạ Long project—submitted a petition to the court and relevant judicial bodies.

In the filing, Tuấn questioned the origin of the 2.5 trillion đồng used to “remediate damages,” suggesting it may include funds improperly obtained from residents involved in the civil suit. He called for an investigation into the source of the money, proposed freezing any related funds, and requested that any overpayment (estimated at 10 billion đồng) be redirected to the Civil Judgment Enforcement Department of Quảng Ninh Province.

Tuấn also criticized the original 21-year sentence as too lenient given the scale of harm caused to thousands of victims, underscoring broader public skepticism about justice in high-profile corporate crime cases in Vietnam.

The appellate hearing is ongoing.

Quick Takes: Việt Nam, U.S. Make Headway in Trade Talks as Tariff Deadline Approaches Việt Nam and the United States concluded their third round of trade negotiations in Washington from June 9–12, with officials acknowledging progress but significant unresolved issues—such as Việt Nam’s dependence on Chinese industrial imports and the looming expiration of a 46% reciprocal tariff pause. Việt Nam recorded a $12.2 billion trade surplus with the U.S. in May, driven by a 42% surge in exports to a record $13.8 billion. Both sides plan an online follow-up meeting between Việt Nam’s Trade Minister Nguyễn Hồng Diên and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resolve outstanding matters.

Party Chief Tô Lâm Prepares US Visit as Tariff Deadline Nears Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, Tô Lâm, is set to travel to the U.S. in the coming weeks amid escalating trade tensions over planned US tariffs, sources tell Bloomberg. The visit aims to help finalize a trade agreement before steeper “Liberation Day” tariffs take effect, with negotiators reportedly close to a deal to reduce tariffs from 46% to a 20–25% range. With a key tariff deadline fast approaching, Tô Lâm’s trip underscores Vietnam’s urgency in securing a bilateral pact to shield its export-driven economy.

Việt Nam Moves to Streamline Public Sector, Remove Underperforming Officials On June 15, the Vietnamese government issued Decree 154/2025 on downsizing the civil service. Under the decree, officials rated as "failing to complete duties" in the prior or current year will be subject to dismissal. During the 9th National Assembly session on June 17, lawmakers debated post-merger administrative reform. Delegate Phạm Đình Thanh (Kon Tum) emphasized the government’s responsibility to assess public servants’ performance, keeping competent staff and removing unqualified personnel. The effort is part of a broader push to streamline Vietnam’s bloated bureaucracy following recent structural consolidations.

Việt Nam Bans Public Officials from Founding or Managing Businesses On June 17, Việt Nam’s National Assembly passed amendments to the Enterprise Law, with 455 out of 457 delegates voting in favor of the changes. The revised law prohibits public officials and civil servants from founding, investing in, or managing private businesses. Exceptions apply only in cases governed by laws on science and technology, innovation, or national digital transformation. The move aims to prevent conflicts of interest and tighten state-sector integrity.

Việt Nam Insight: Learn more about Việt Nam Vietnam Takes a Risk and a Chance on BRICS AsiaTimes/Buu Nguyen/June 17

“On June 13, 2025, BRICS officially welcomed Vietnam as ‘a partner country’, marking a significant milestone in Hanoi’s foreign policy. This decision reflects a carefully planned strategy, developed over years, to diversify Vietnam’s international relations and strengthen its position in a multipolar world.

However, this approach may limit Vietnam’s ability to shape BRICS’s vision for a new global economic order. Amid post‑Covid economic recovery, Vietnam faces pressure to attract foreign capital from both China and the US while preserving its strategic autonomy.”