This Policy Note is designed to informthe Government of Vietnam and National Assembly (notably theCommittee on Finance and Budgetary Affairs, CFBA)discussions on the revision of the State Budget Law (SBL)(2002) by drawing on good international practices in budgetmanagement. It is part of the World Bank s ongoing policydialogue with and advice to the Government and the NationalAssembly on revisions to the SBL (2002). The SBL (2002) hasprovided a strong basis for regulating Public FinanceManagement (PFM) in Vietnam since 2004, when the Law becameeffective. It has helped the government to allocate andspend public resources in an effective manner, therebycontributing to delivery of important public serviceoutcomes. The SBL (2002), however, needs to be revised toenhance Vietnam s fiscal regulatory framework andaccountability. The Policy Note covers seven broad areasincluding: (i) the coverage and layout of the SBL (2002);(ii) the budget framework for fiscal policy making; (iii)budget approval processes at the National Assembly andProvincial People s Councils; (iv) specific budgetclassification and definition issues; (v) intergovernmentalfiscal relations; (vi) budget execution, accounting,reporting and audit; and (vii) extra-budgetary activities.The issues in the Policy Note were prioritized based onearlier discussions with representatives from theGovernment, National Assembly, and local authorities, andviews expressed at the CFBA and United Nations internationalconference on SBL (2002) revision held in Ninh Binh at theend of September 2013.