The National Assembly has passed the Law on Access to Information (amended). The Law takes effect from September 1, 2026.
This Law consists of 4 Chapters with 31 Articles regulating the exercise of citizens' right to access information; responsibilities of state agencies and public non-business units responsible for providing basic and essential public non-business services in ensuring citizens' right to access information. The Law takes effect from September 1, 2026.
In particular, the Law also clearly states the responsibilities of agencies and units in ensuring the implementation of the right to access information.
Through this, agencies and units are responsible for implementing measures to ensure the right to access information; creating favorable conditions for people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, people living in border areas, islands, mountainous areas, ethnic minority areas, areas with difficult and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions to exercise the right to access information.
Agencies and units create conditions and encourage businesses, organizations, and individuals to research and apply scientific and technological advances in building public information systems;
At the same time, they are responsible for upgrading and investing in specialized equipment to serve the information provision activities of agencies and units in border areas, islands, mountainous areas, ethnic minority areas, and areas with difficult and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions in accordance with relevant laws.
The electronic information portal and electronic information page of agencies and units are connected and integrated with the electronic information portal and electronic information page of affiliated agencies and units to update and share information, creating convenience for citizens.
Agencies and units are responsible for maintaining, storing, and updating information databases, ensuring that information is systematic, complete, comprehensive, easy to look up, download, and use.
Agencies and units are responsible for reviewing, classifying, checking and ensuring the confidentiality of information before it is provided.
Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, and People's Committees at all levels are responsible for compiling and publicizing the list of public non-business units with the task of providing basic and essential public non-business services within their management scope. Agencies and units are responsible for publicizing administrative procedures on information provision as prescribed.
According to the assigned functions and tasks, Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, and People's Committees at all levels shall implement measures to ensure the right to access information in accordance with the Government's regulations. At the same time, the Government shall uniformly manage state management of information access.
