Vietnam Party chief attends extraordinary parliament session after weeks of public absence

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is attending the opening ceremony of an extraordinary session of the National Assembly on Monday morning after three weeks out of the public eye.

Trong’s absence since December 26 had raised rumors about his health. He did not receive Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone or Indonesia's President Joko Widodo during their visits to Hanoi.

This extraordinary session of the National Assembly (NA), the country’s highest legislative body, is scheduled to take place over three days and will wrap up on January 18. On January 17, it will pause to allow the NA, the government and relevant authorities to receive, assess and complete draft laws and draft resolutions.

During the session, the fifth of its kind since the ongoing NA legislature started in 2021, lawmakers are expected to approve the draft amended Law on Land and the draft amended Law on Credit Institutions, which had been scheduled for approval at an ordinary session in November.

In addition, the legislators will consider and supplement the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for the period 2021-2025 and a medium-term public investment plan for Vietnam Electricity (EVN).