HANOI - The first session of the 13th National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam officially opened in the capital Hanoi Thursday.

At the opening speech, Party General secretary, NA's Chairman, Nguyen Phu Trong said that the 12th NA has successfully completed, reaffirmed the experience and results of NA through 65 years of history and also set a stage for the 13th NA.

The 13th NA will focus on further improving the legal system and the supervision function of the NA, continue increasing the responsibilities on determining national's major issues, expanding the external work of the NA, Trong said.

The 1st session of the 13th NA has great meaning as it will elect new government and state leaders, Trong added.

In the report of Vietnam's socio-economic situation in the first six months of 2011, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said that the country's GDP in the first half reached 5. 57 percent, lower than the NA's target of 7 to 7.5 percent.

The country needs to do more effort to gain the GDP growth at six percent this year, said Hung.

The 1st session of the 13th NA is scheduled to last till August 6 and it will spend 11 days to elect new government and state leaders.

The NA will vote for new NA's Chairman and vice chairman on July 23, the country's President on July 25, and the Vice President, Prime Minister and Supreme Court's Judge on July 26.

On August 4, the NA will discuss on the establishment of the committee on the draft amendment and supplement of the 1992 Constitution.