Taking a Hard Line: Prime Minister Directs Police to Crack Down on Criminal Violations in Gold Trading

On the morning of May 6, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the regular Government meeting for April 2025.

Speaking at the conference, the Prime Minister clarified that in the coming time, difficulties and challenges would be intertwined with opportunities and advantages, but the former would outweigh the latter, and global risks and instability would increase sharply. However, this also presents a great opportunity to restructure the economy, diversify markets, products, and supply chains, as well as explore new markets. It serves as both a “measure” and an opportunity to gain more experience in enhancing self-reliance, proactiveness, and upward mobility, thereby building an independent and self-reliant economy, along with proactive and substantive international integration.

The spirit set forth is to persistently and resolutely lead, direct, and govern with flexibility and creativity to achieve the strategic goals of promoting growth, curbing inflation, ensuring macro-economic stability, maintaining major economic balances, and controlling public debt, government debt, foreign debt, and budget deficits. This also includes pursuing rapid, sustainable, and inclusive development, ensuring social welfare and improving people’s lives, consolidating national defense and security, strengthening foreign affairs and international integration, and maintaining a peaceful, stable, and favorable environment for the country’s development.

Pointing out 15 key tasks and solutions, the Prime Minister requested that ministers, heads of agencies, and secretaries and chairpersons of localities first review their functions, tasks, powers, and assigned work to overcome the limitations and shortcomings that have been identified.

Second, continue to focus on propagating and implementing resolutions, conclusions, and directives of the Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, the National Assembly, and the Government, as well as the leadership and direction of the levels above, in a serious and vigorous manner.

Third, concentrate on effectively carrying out the rearrangement of administrative boundaries and the establishment of a two-tier local government system, truly shifting from passivity to proactiveness in serving the people and businesses, reducing administrative procedures, decentralizing and devolving power, and enhancing self-reliance and proactiveness. Review and amend guiding documents on mergers; scrutinize the entire delegation and devolution process within your sector and propose to the National Assembly a resolution on delegation and devolution, implementing immediately what can be done.

Fourth, effectively implement the “strategic quartet” in accordance with the four resolutions of the Politburo; promptly submit a resolution to the National Assembly and present the Government with an action program to deploy Resolutions 66 and 68 of the Politburo.

Fifth, focus on implementing solutions to respond to the US tax policy. Prepare thoroughly for negotiations with the US with the approach of “harmonizing interests and sharing risks” and in the spirit of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnam, aiming for balanced and sustainable trade, without affecting international agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory. Expedite the signing and execution of contracts and the purchase and sale of goods with the US.

Along with this, implement solutions to diversify markets, products, and supply chains; improve the quality and competitiveness of goods and services, and be ready to adapt to the changing global economic situation. Ensure the effective exploitation of the domestic market; strengthen the inspection and supervision of the origin of goods. Ensure regular exchanges and provide appropriate support for businesses and workers affected by the new US tariff policy.

Sixth, prioritize vigorously promoting growth in conjunction with maintaining macro-economic stability, curbing inflation, and ensuring the major balances of the economy.

SBV proactively, flexibly, promptly, and effectively governs monetary policy, coordinating harmoniously and synchronously with a reasonably expanded fiscal policy, focusing on continuing to reduce costs, lowering lending interest rates, and enhancing people’s and businesses’ access to capital in accordance with Resolution 68 of the Politburo on developing the private economy and proactively, flexibly, promptly, and effectively governing exchange rates.

Along with this, strengthen the management of the gold market, prevent smuggling, hoarding, and price manipulation, and take advantage of the situation; the Ministry of Public Security resolutely handles criminal violations; agencies urgently submit amendments to Decree 24 on gold trading.

The Ministry of Finance strengthens revenue management, striving to increase revenue by at least 15%; drastically saves regular expenses to increase investment development expenses; effectively implements policies on exemption, reduction, and extension of tax, fees, and charges. Develop a healthy, transparent, and sustainable corporate bond market; promote the issuance of corporate bonds to the public.

Seventh, focus on renewing traditional growth drivers and promoting new ones. Ministries, agencies, and localities need to promote social investment. The Ministry of Industry and Trade takes the lead in promoting exports and negotiating to expand new markets; stimulates domestic consumption and strongly promotes the movement of Vietnamese people prioritizing the use of Vietnamese goods, especially OCOP products. The Ministry of Construction removes obstacles and promotes the development of the real estate market. The Ministry of Science and Technology takes the lead in urging, implementing Resolution No. 57 of the Politburo, Resolution No. 193 of the National Assembly, and Resolution No. 03 of the Government on science, technology, and innovation and national digital transformation.

Eighth, accelerate public investment disbursement. The Ministry of Finance takes the lead in striving to disburse 100% of the public investment plan; promotes the role of task forces to urge and remove difficulties and obstacles, and promotes public investment disbursement; reports to the Government and the Prime Minister on measures to strictly handle ministries, sectors, and localities that have not fully allocated plans by March 15, 2025; promptly removes difficulties and obstacles for large-scale, high-tech FDI projects. The Ministry of Construction expedites the implementation of the transfer of the right to collect fees for the use of traffic infrastructure works.

Ninth, effectively implement visa preferences and expand visa waivers for some subjects and countries to attract more tourists; amend the Law on Nationality.

Tenth, continue to resolve long-standing problems; focus on removing obstacles and soon put into operation more than 2,200 projects; propose to widely apply similar mechanisms and policies as in Resolution 170/2024/QH15.

Eleventh, pay attention to the field of culture; develop the cultural, entertainment, and creative industries, and promote endogenous strength.

Carefully prepare and well organize activities to celebrate the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, the 80th anniversary of National Day, and the Exhibition of Socio-economic Achievements on this occasion; especially the preparation of the celebration, parade, and procession.

The Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Finance, the Government Office, and ministries, sectors, and localities focus on reviewing and starting the construction of 80 large-scale projects nationwide on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day.

Twelfth, the Ministry of Construction takes the lead in promoting the implementation of the project to invest in the construction of at least 1 million social housing apartments. The Central Steering Committee and localities continue to focus on directing and promoting the emulation movement “Joining hands to eliminate temporary, dilapidated houses nationwide in 2025.”

Thirteenth, ensure social security and leave no one behind; protect the environment, prevent natural disasters, and respond to climate change.

The Ministry of Education and Training focuses on completing the Report and the draft Resolution of the Politburo on education and training. The Ministry of Health focuses on completing the Report and the draft Resolution of the Politburo on protection, health care, population work, and development.

Fourteenth, consolidate national defense and security; maintain social order and safety; strengthen foreign affairs and international integration. Pay special attention to the thorough preparation for high-level foreign affairs activities of the Party and State leaders and the effective implementation of commitments.

Fifteenth, strengthen information and communication work, especially policy communication, and organize practical and effective emulation movements, replicate good models and good practices, create resonance and social consensus, and promote socio-economic development.

The Prime Minister requested that Government members and ministries and agencies carefully prepare to serve the 9th session of the National Assembly, coordinate closely with the agencies of the National Assembly, and perform well in explaining and answering the questions of the National Assembly.