Thayer Consultancy Background Brief

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Vietnam: Question Time in the
National Assembly
May 24, 2018

We are preparing a report about Question and Answer (Q&A) time in Vietnam’s
National Assembly, an activity in which deputies question ministers on particular
issues. The Q&A session at Vietnam’s National Assembly’s meeting is very unique,
even China does nott have one, or in the U.S., it is a hearing to be held when necessary,
not a frequent activity like Vietnam.
We request your assessment on Q&Q in the National Assembly and any comments on
the recent Q&A session procedure you care to make.
ANSWER: Questions were introduced in Vietnam’s National Assembly after the
adoption of the 1992 Constitution (since amended). They were a novel reform.
Ministers were questioned, sometimes sharply. The replies were televised for the
general public and reported in the Vietnamese language press. In many respects the
usefulness of question time depended on the initiative of individual deputies.
There are limitations. Questions must be submitted in writing. And more time could
be made available for questions and answers.
Vietnam’s political system is a unitary one and does not involve a separation of
powers. The United States strictly separates the executive, legislature and judiciary.
No member of the U.S. Cabinet is a member of Congress. Cabinet Secretaries
(ministers) often appear before Congressional committees (House of Representative
and Senate each have parallel committees). The Secretary usually submits written
testimony and answers questions without any knowledge of what he/she will be
asked. Transcripts are prepared and released to the public.
Liberal parliamentary democracies differ from the U.S. system. All ministers are
members of Parliament. They are subject to question time. Some questions may be
put on notice and the Minister can prepare a response. Usually question time is
freewheeling. Because parliamentary democracies are not one-party systems like
Vietnam, the Opposition can be very tough during question time. There is often
shouting and interjection. A detailed transcript is kept and is published daily in a
record of proceedings known as the Hansard.
While Vietnam’s question time is unique especially when compared to China, question
time is a long-standing tradition in parliamentary multi-party democracies such as in
Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
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Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam: Question Time in the National

Assembly,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, May 24, 2018. All background briefs
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