Dong Nai People's Council session highlights reforms in legislative proceedings

Deputies discuss key issues at the third session of the first Dong Nai People's Council for the 2026–2031 term. Photo: Cong Nghia

Since the introduction of the two-tier local government model, the City People's Council has continued to reform the organization of its sessions, placing greater emphasis on substance, improving the quality of decision-making and oversight, and meeting the city's development requirements in the new period.

A renewed approach from the People’s Council session

The discussion on Dong Nai's socio-economic performance during the first half of 2026 clearly reflected this renewed approach. Rather than simply reviewing achievements, deputies focused on analyzing bottlenecks affecting economic growth, including public investment disbursement, budget revenue collection, planning, land management, science and technology, and digital transformation. Many solutions were proposed to unlock resources and drive development.

Nearly 20 deputies took the floor during the discussion. What stood out was not merely the number of opinions raised but the quality of debate and the strong sense of accountability demonstrated throughout the session. Issues were examined from multiple perspectives, while relevant authorities proactively clarified deputies’ concerns, providing a stronger practical basis for the People's Council's deliberations and decisions. Concluding the discussion, Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee (CPC) and Chairwoman of the Dong Nai People's Council, praised the deputies for their responsible and constructive contributions, noting that many recommendations would help remove bottlenecks and unlock development resources.

The constructive atmosphere continued into the question-and-answer session, where deputies sought clearer accountability, practical solutions and implementation timelines for issues raised by voters.

The positive developments seen in recent sessions since the adoption of the two-tier local government model demonstrate the council's continued efforts to strengthen its effectiveness. As Dong Nai operates under the two-tier local government model, expectations for higher-quality policymaking and more effective oversight have continued to increase. Accordingly, alongside ensuring compliance with legal procedures, the organization of council sessions has been further improved to encourage democratic discussion, diverse viewpoints and greater accountability.

Recent sessions, particularly the third sitting, have demonstrated an increasingly flexible approach to chairing proceedings. Presiding officers grouped discussions by topic, highlighted key issues requiring clarification and invited relevant departments, sectors and specialized agencies to respond directly to deputies’ questions. This approach has enabled deputies to make more comprehensive assessments before voting on issues within the council's authority while also enhancing transparency in the operation of the elected body.

Le Ha, Deputy Head of the Standing Executive Board of the Dong Nai City Buddhist Sangha, said the Standing Committee of the City People's Council had adopted an increasingly flexible and well-organized approach to managing its sessions. He said the democratic atmosphere had encouraged deputies to speak more openly, contribute policy recommendations and fully reflect voters' concerns, thereby strengthening their representative role and improving the quality of deliberations before important local decisions are made.

Such an approach has helped ensure that resolutions adopted by the council are better grounded in reality and more responsive to local development needs and voters' aspirations.

Speaking at the session, Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee, highly praised the deputies’ sense of responsibility. The discussions and question-and-answer sessions not only identified shortcomings but also proposed many practical solutions for improving governance. According to Ut, the council's oversight serves as an important source of information, enabling the municipal People's Committee to promptly identify shortcomings and adjust policies accordingly, while strengthening coordination between the two bodies in addressing local issues.

Early preparation

The quality of the discussions reflected months of careful preparation by the Standing Committee of the City People's Council. Ahead of the third session, the City People's Council organized discussions among deputies in four groups to review reports, proposals and draft resolutions before they were submitted to the plenary session. This early consultation process allowed many issues to be addressed in advance. The approach has been maintained over several sessions, contributing to better preparation of documents submitted to the council.

The live broadcast of the discussion and question-and-answer sessions was also welcomed by voters, who said it made the council's activities more transparent and accessible. The broadcasts also enable voters to monitor how the City People's Committee and relevant departments and sectors fulfill the commitments made during the session.

During the discussions, all 42 deputies contributed a total of 127 comments focusing on the city's key development priorities. Many recommendations were incorporated into reports, proposals and draft resolutions before they were submitted to the People’s Council for approval. As a result, more time during the session could be devoted to unresolved issues and matters of greatest concern to voters, helping improve both the quality and practicality of the council's decisions. The council's reform efforts have also received broad public support.

After following the third session live, Nguyen Van Trinh, a voter from Phuoc Tan ward, said he was impressed by the democratic and responsible atmosphere as well as the focused question-and-answer sessions that addressed issues attracting widespread public attention.

He noted that the presiding chair's flexible handling of the session helped maintain lively discussions while ensuring that responsibilities and timelines for addressing outstanding issues were clearly defined.

The positive developments seen across successive sessions since the implementation of the two-tier local government model demonstrate increasingly evident innovations in the City People's Council's working methods. The third session further affirmed the effectiveness of these reforms, particularly in the chairing of discussions, question-and-answer sessions, and in strengthening accountability. What voters expect most is that this spirit of frankness and resoluteness will be maintained beyond the session, so that every policy decision adopted is effectively implemented, rather than remaining on paper, thereby unlocking resources and driving the city's development as expected.