The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi on May 16 held a conference to gather feedback on the draft resolution to amend and supplement several articles of the 2013 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

After more than 11 years of implementation, the 2013 Constitution has provided a solid constitutional foundation for the organization and functioning of the political system.

However, certain provisionspa, rticularly those concerning the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), socio-political organizations, and local governments, still require refinement to better meet the current needs of national development.

Nguyen Huy Khanh, Vice President of the Hanoi Federation of Labor, emphasized that the draft resolution appropriately highlights the promotion of people's democratic rights, protection of their legitimate interests, and the supervisory and social feedback roles of the VFF.

These amendments align with the vision of building a socialist rule-of-law state "of the people, by the people, and for the people", he said.

He noted that the 13th Party Congress affirmed the VFF and socio-political organizations as the political foundation enabling citizens to exercise their democratic rights.

Therefore, the Constitution must clearly define and elevate the roles of these organizations, particularly in uniting the people, expressing their will and aspirations, and protecting their rights and interests, Khanh added.

Bui Thi An, President of the Hanoi Association of Women Intellectuals, stressed the need to clearly define the VFF's constitutional rights.

She proposed that the VFF be given the authority to submit draft laws to the National Assembly and ordinances to the National Assembly Standing Committee, as outlined in Article 84.

"This is feasible because the VFF brings together a broad range of voices and perspectives from across society," she said.

Exercising this authority would allow the people to meaningfully participate in lawmaking through their legitimate representative, the VFF, while also fulfilling the Party's directive to promote democracy and strengthen oversight of power, An said.

She further recommended that a revised Law on the Vietnam Fatherland Front be enacted to detail these new constitutional rights. Additionally, there should be mechanisms to protect the VFF's independent opinions and critical viewpoints to avoid superficiality or fear of controversy.

To effectively fulfill its role, the VFF must strengthen its capacity for policy review and social supervision by building a team of expert advisors and maintaining a scientific, objective, and evidence-based database for analysis, An added.

Dao Ba Son, President of the Hanoi Association of Jurists, raised concerns about the revised Article 111, Clause 2, which refers to the organization of local government "appropriate to rural, urban, island, and special administrative-economic units," while leaving specifics to be determined by the National Assembly.

He warned that this could delay timely and flexible adjustments to local governance structures.

Instead, he proposed a framework that allows more autonomy at the local level, suggesting the revised provision should state: "Local government consists of the People's Council and People's Committee organized at the provincial and commune levels, with other special cases regulated by the National Assembly." This, he argued, would clearly define a two-tier local government model.

Nguyen Lan Huong, Chairwoman of the Hanoi Fatherland Front Committee, expressed appreciation for the delegates' thoughtful contributions and affirmed that the comments had thoroughly addressed key aspects of the draft.

She noted that the feedback particularly focused on the role of the VFF and its member organizations, as well as their relationship with and relative independence from other components of the political system.

These insights, she said, are crucial to ensuring democratic participation and protecting the lawful rights and interests of union members, association members, and the general public.

Huong called on all levels of the Fatherland Front and its member organizations to actively and substantively carry out public consultations on the constitutional amendments.

She urged the use of diverse formats, especially digital platforms, to ensure widespread participation.

She also emphasized the importance of robust public outreach to inform citizens about the draft and to ensure that no group or demographic is excluded from the consultation process.

"Public consultation on the Constitution must be conducted in a democratic, genuine, and serious manner, not just as a formality," Huong said.