On October 31, the National Assembly continued discussions on the 2026 socio-economic development plan and the projected plan for 2027. Delegate Trinh Xuan An from Dong Nai argued that double-digit growth is not merely a quantitative target, but must pair with an overhaul of the development model, ensuring the country not only grows faster, but becomes genuinely stronger and more sustainable.

A larger GDP scale must align with the growth of domestic Vietnamese enterprises, alongside tangible improvements in citizens' daily lives.

According to An, while average worker incomes rose by approximately 9 percent over the first nine months, the CPI climbed 4.52 percent, leaving real income gains at only around 4.3 percent. 

Although living standards for low-income earners, factory workers living in rented housing, and informal sector workers have improved, average statistical figures fail to fully reflect their actual spending burdens.

"Behind growth statistics, citizens care about how much savings remain after covering living expenses; businesses care about what resources remain after operating costs and interest payments to invest in technology, boost productivity, and grow. If these capabilities remain constrained, we must clearly identify the bottlenecks preventing growth achievements from trickling down to every household and enterprise," An noted.

He urged the Government to evaluate growth quality through real income, sustainable employment, citizens' savings capacity, and domestic businesses' reinvestment capability.

"We cannot demand that every investment yield immediate results, but citizens must enjoy the fruits of development during the growth process. This serves as both the goal and the foundation to generate purchasing power, foster confidence, and build momentum for sustainable economic development," he said.

Faster policy decisions 

Delegate Tran Thi Van from Bac Ninh shared four practical anecdotes to illustrate systemic lags.

In the first, she recounted how speed limit signs were installed on a highway stretch undergoing repair to ensure traffic safety. However, once repairs were completed and normal traffic conditions restored, the signs remained in place, forcing commuters to drive under outdated limits. Van assessed this as a policy lag in terminating regulations when real-world conditions change.

The second story involved public investment funds. Official published prices for construction materials lagged far below market rates. Contractors faced potential losses before even breaking ground, leading to project delays and stalled disbursement of public investment capital. She identified this as a policy lag in adjusting to market volatility.

The third story centered on administrative unit restructuring: surplus public headquarters could be repurposed into schools, yet proposals were rejected because the land was not officially zoned for educational use, despite National Assembly Resolution 248 authorizing the conversion of public office land for educational purposes prior to formal land-use planning updates. Van highlighted this as an execution lag that leaves existing assets unexploited.

For her fourth story, Van pointed to Foshan, China, where a chicken hotpot eatery went viral on social media, attracting thousands of daily diners and straining local infrastructure.

Instead of panicking, tightening restrictions, or remaining passive observers, local authorities opened parking spaces, optimized traffic flow, set up restrooms, deployed support personnel, and linked nearby tourism services. From a single small eatery, they unlocked an economic growth opportunity for the entire district. This demonstrates a government reacting swiftly, turning a market phenomenon into a regional development opportunity.

According to Van, these four stories show that "we do not lack policies; what we lack is a sufficiently fast policy reaction mechanism and the courage to take responsibility to synthesize fragmented resources into drivers and opportunities for growth."

The delegate proposed establishing an early warning and rapid policy reaction mechanism. When regulations reveal shortcomings that impact citizens and businesses, authorities must review, adjust, or terminate them. Every bottleneck must have a designated responsible agency and a strict handling deadline.

Regarding response timelines for urgent issues significantly impacting production, business, and investment, she advocated for a mechanism to assign lead agencies and set binding response deadlines. She emphasized the need to end the practice of bouncing petitions across multiple administrative tiers without identifying who bears ultimate accountability or when results will be delivered.

Tran Thuong