1946 Constitution remains cornerstone of Vietnam’s legal system: NA deputies
Looking back on the 80-year journey since the country’s first Constitution was adopted, deputy Trinh Ngoc Phuong from Tay Ninh province said the 1946 Constitution has served as a thread connecting different periods of the country’s constitutional development. Although constitutional provisions had evolved to meet practical requirements, its core value of serving the people remained unchanged.
Hanoi (VNA) – The 1946 Constitution’s enduring values and people-centred approach remain a key foundation for Vietnam’s efforts to build and perfect its socialist rule-of-law State, National Assembly (NA) deputies said on the sidelines of the second session of the 16th NA.
Looking back on the 80-year journey since the country’s first Constitution was adopted, deputy Trinh Ngoc Phuong from Tay Ninh province said the 1946 Constitution has served as a thread connecting different periods of the country’s constitutional development. Although constitutional provisions had evolved to meet practical requirements, its core value of serving the people remained unchanged.
Phuong noted that its forward-looking and innovative mindset, together with its people-serving spirit, were not only significant at the time but also shaped subsequent constitutions and Vietnam’s legal system.
Even if the Constitution continues to be revised in the future, the spirit and core values of the 1946 Constitution will remain relevant, Phuong stressed.
Sharing this view, deputy Nguyen Hai Dung from Ninh Binh province recalled the extremely difficult historical circumstances facing the country immediately after its independence. Under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and generations of leaders, the country mobilised its collective wisdom and efforts to draft the first Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, marking a special milestone in the constitutional and legislative history of the Party and the newly-established State.
From a legal science perspective, the 1946 Constitution is concise and succinct yet comprehensive in scope, fully governing the most important social relations, he said, noting that legal theorists and scholars always held the Constitution in particularly high regard.
Dung said that effectively applying and building on its spirit and drafting approach will contribute significantly to developing Vietnam’s socialist rule-of-law State. He cited its simple and accessible provisions on freedom and democracy, which reflect President Ho Chi Minh’s thought that democracy meant enabling the people to speak out.
Drawing lessons from the country’s constitutional history, the deputies expressed their hope that Vietnam’s legal system will retain the 1946 Constitution’s approach of using concise, clear and accessible language, while setting out general principles with lasting value, thereby further promoting the spirit of the 1946 Constitution in the country’s new development era./