National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man called for tighter safeguards against collusion, bid rigging, sham bidders and last-minute bid withdrawals, as lawmakers reviewed a draft revision of the Law on Property Auction during the 16th legislature’s second session in Hanoi on October 19.
Speaking at a group discussion, NA President Man said the revised law must track the Party’s policies closely, especially resolutions on refining the socialist-oriented market economy, fighting corruption and other negative practices, accelerating digital transformation, and managing public assets and land.
He proposed that matters arising before and after auctions be governed by specialised laws. These include the conditions for putting assets up for sale, starting prices, decision-making authority, approval of results, payment and asset handover.
The draft proposes raising the deposit for individuals bidding for residential land-use rights to 20–50% of the starting price. Man also proposed extending the requirement to other types of assets prone to manipulation. It will also expand the list of prohibited acts to cover leaking participants’ names and dossiers before official disclosure, and interfering in or steering the selection of auction entities and auctioneers. The draft also proposes that applicants who submit valid applications and deposits and attend an auction be deemed to have agreed to bid at least the starting price, a measure intended to deter the use of intermediaries to manipulate auction outcomes.
The draft also floats a provision deeming applicants who submit valid dossiers and deposits to have agreed to buy the asset at the starting price, a move meant to deter the use of intermediaries to rig outcomes.
The top legislator supported expanding online auctions and accelerating secure digitalisation, proposing that most types of assets be auctioned online except those specifically exempted by law. He proposed making the National Property Auction Portal mandatory for online auctions, with the portal operated by a state agency and secured through robust electronic identification and authentication measures. The law should also prohibit interference with auction systems and technology-related fraud, while ensuring consistency with the Law on Electronic Transactions, the Law on Cybersecurity and personal data protection regulations.
NA President Tran Thanh Man speaks at the session (Photo: VNA)
Completing the legal framework governing the legal profession
In a separate group discussion on the draft revised Law on Lawyers earlier the same day, deputies broadly backed amending the law to strengthen the legal framework for the profession and raise the quality of the lawyer workforce. They said the changes would support judicial reform and the building of a rule-of-law state, while widening access to justice for individuals and businesses.
On how legal assistance officers can be recognised as lawyers, Tay Ninh deputy Phan Thi My Dung proposed exempting former legal aid officers with at least five years’ experience from lawyer training and apprenticeship.
Current rules already set a high bar. Under the Law on Legal Assistance, officers must have completed lawyer training or hold an exemption, and must have finished either a lawyer apprenticeship or a legal assistance apprenticeship. Article 20 sets the legal assistance apprenticeship at 12 months and empowers the justice minister to regulate the process and how results are assessed.
Dung argued that the law should fully recognise the training, apprenticeship, assessment and practical experience that legal aid officers have acquired. Those who meet the remaining professional and eligibility standards should not have to repeat lawyer training or an apprenticeship, or retake the national lawyer qualification exam.
