Decree 32/2025/ND-CP the functions, tasks, powers of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences

DECREE

Defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences^[1]

Pursuant to the February 18, 2025 Law on Organization of the Government;

At the proposal of the Minister of Science and Technology;

The Government promulgates the Decree defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

Article 1. Position and functions

1. The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences is a government-attached agency, performing the functions of studying fundamental issues of social sciences; providing scientific grounds for the Party and the State in the formulation of guidelines, strategies, master plans, plans and policies for the country’s rapid and sustainable development toward socialist-oriented socio-economic development; providing counseling on development policies in the field of social sciences; and training human resources in social sciences in accordance with law.

2. The name of the academy in international transactions is the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, abbreviated to VASS.

Article 2. Tasks and powers

The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences shall perform the tasks and exercise the powers prescribed in the Law on Organization of the Government and the Government’s regulations on government-attached agencies, and has the following specific tasks and powers:

1. Regarding strategies, programs and plans:

a/ To submit to the Government or Prime Minister its strategies, long-term, five-year and annual programs and plans, and important projects and schemes, and organize the implementation thereof after they are approved;

b/ To provide counseling on policies and take part in scientific appraisal of important schemes and projects in the field of social sciences at the request of the Government or Prime Minister;

c/ To decide on investment projects that fall under its competence in accordance with law.

2. To study the following theoretical and practical issues of social sciences:

a/ Renewal and completion of the political system; socialist law-ruled state; socialist democracy in Vietnam; raising of the leadership capacity of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and operational effect and effectiveness of the state apparatus, and step-by-step improvement of Vietnam’s legal system;

b/ Development of the socialist-oriented market economy;

c/ Fundamental issues on the comprehensive development of Vietnamese people; values of the country and nation, fine cultural and family values of the nation, and absorption of the quintessence of the mankind’s culture and civilization;

d/ Fundamental and urgent issues on ethnicity, religion, history, culture, literature, language and psychology in order to bring into play the strength of the entire nation in the cause of national construction and defense;

dd/ Fundamental, comprehensive and systematic issues on Vietnam’s development theory under the impact of globalization, international integration, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution;

e/ Social science aspects of the knowledge-based economy in the context of globalization and response to climate change and assessment of impacts on Vietnam’s socio-economic development;

g/ Development experiences in the world, forecasts of major development trends of the region and the world, assessment of multifaceted impacts of globalization and international integration on the development of the world, the region and Vietnam.

3. To conduct basic socio-economic surveys, and provide analyses and forecasts to serve the country’s development requirements, focusing on key socio-economic fields, and key economic sectors and regions.

4. To organize the compilation of typical scientific works and great book series, depicting the quintessence of Vietnamese and international intelligence to serve the study and dissemination of knowledge on social sciences.

5. To organize investigation, excavation, study, collection, conservation and museum activities, and uphold cultural heritage values of Vietnam’s ethnicities.

6. Regarding performance of public services:

a/ To organize the performance of public services assigned by the Government in accordance with law;

b/ To examine the provision of public services by its affiliated units in accordance with law.

7. To decide on and direct the implementation of its administrative reform program based on objectives and contents of the state administrative reform program approved by the Prime Minister.

8. To provide training at master’s and doctor’s degrees; to take part in training human resources in the field of social sciences in accordance with law.

9. To provide counseling on important socio-economic development strategies, master plans, plans, policies, programs and projects within the ambit of its functions at the request of the Government or Prime Minister.

10. Regarding international cooperation:

a/ To enter into cooperation with international organizations and foreign institutions and universities in conducting research and joint training in social sciences in accordance with law;

b/ To organize international cooperation conferences, seminars, programs and plans in accordance with law.

11. Regarding information and reporting regimes:

a/ To organize public communication about and dissemination of political tasks, policies, regimes and the State’s laws in specific sectors and fields as assigned;

b/ To develop a system of databases of scientific information on its scientific research outcomes. To provide information and send reports on its operation results to the Government, Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Technology in accordance with law.

12. Regarding the organizational structure:

a/ To coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology in submitting to the Government for decision the establishment, reorganization, dissolution and renaming of its affiliated organizations and units in accordance with law;

b/ To manage the organizational structure, number of public employees and workers, working positions, and structure of public employees based on their professional titles; to decide on the rotation, transfer, appointment, relief from duty, resignation from office, dismissal, secondment, training, further training, commendation, disciplining, resignation, retirement, salary and remuneration policies for its public employees and workers according to regulations;

c/ To implement the autonomy mechanism in accordance with law.

13. Regarding finances and asset management:

a/ To formulate annual state budget estimates, three-year finance-state budget plans and medium-term public investment plans, and submit them to competent state agencies for approval in accordance with law;

b/ To manage finances and assets allocated to the Academy in accordance with law.

14. To perform other tasks and exercise other powers as assigned or vested by the Government or Prime Minister and in accordance with law.

Article 3. Organizational structure

1. The Organization and Personnel Department.

2. The Finance and Scientific Management Department.

3. The International Cooperation Department.

4. The Office.

5. The Institute of State and Law.

6. The Institute of Philosophy.

7. The Institute of Human, Family and Gender Studies.

8. The Institute of Cultural Studies.

9. The Institute of Ethnology and Religious Studies.

10. The Institute of History.

11. The Vietnam Institute of Literature.

12. The Institute of Linguistics.

13. The Institute of Sociology and Psychology.

14. The Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies.

15. The Institute for Southern Asian, Western Asian and African Studies.

16. The Institute for European and American Studies.

17. The Institute of Vietnamese and World Economics.

18. Institute of Human Geography and Sustainable Development.

19. The Institute of Social Sciences of the Central Region and Central Highlands.

20. The Institute of Social Sciences of the Southern Region.

21. The Institute of Archaeology.

22. The Institute of Han-Nom Studies.

23. The Institute of Social Sciences Information.

24. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

25. The Graduate Academy of Social Sciences.

26. The Social Sciences Publishing House.

The units specified in Clauses 1 thru 4 of this Article are specialized units assisting the President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. The Office may have 10 divisions.

The units specified in Clauses 5 thru 23 of this Article are public science and technology organizations.

The units specified in Clauses 24 thru 26 of this Article are other public non-business units.

The President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences shall define the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structures of units under and affiliated to the Academy.

Article 4. Leadership of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences

1. The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences may have a President and no more than 4 Vice Presidents.

2. The President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences shall be appointed and relieved from duty by the Prime Minister and bear responsibility before the Government, Prime Minister and law for all activities of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

3. Vice Presidents of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences shall be appointed and relieved from duty by the Prime Minister at the proposal of the President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences; and assist the President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in directing and settling work in a number of fields and bear responsibility before the President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and law for their assigned tasks.

Article 5. Transitional provisions

Public science and technology organizations and public non-business units subject to rearrangement and reorganization may continue to operate until the President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences issues regulations on the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structures of the new units after rearrangement and reorganization according to law, which must be no later than March 31, 2025.

Article 6. Effect and implementation responsibility

1. This Decree takes effect on March 1, 2025, and replaces the Government’s Decree No. 108/2022/ND-CP of December 28, 2022, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

2. The President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decree.-

On behalf of the Government
For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRAN HONG HA