Politics of Vietnam
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Politics of Vietnam takes place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, reaffirming the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in politics and society, and outlining government reorganization and increased market reforms in the economy. Though Vietnam remains a one-party state, adherence to ideological orthodoxy has become less important than economic development as a national priority.
The most important powers within the Vietnamese Government – in addition to the Communist Party – are the executive agencies created by the 1992 constitution: the offices of the president and the prime minister. The Vietnamese President, presently Nguyễn Minh Triết, functions as head of state but also serves as the nominal commander of the armed forces and chairman of the Council on National Defense and Security. The Prime Minister of Vietnam, presently Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, heads a cabinet currently composed of three deputy prime ministers and the heads of 26 ministries and commissions, all confirmed by the National Assembly. They were elected in 2002.
Notwithstanding the 1992 Constitution's reaffirmation of the central role of the Communist Party, the National Assembly, according to the Constitution, is the highest representative body of the people and the only organization with legislative powers. It has a broad mandate to oversee all government functions. Once seen as little more than a rubber stamp, the National Assembly has become more vocal and assertive in exercising its authority over lawmaking, particularly in recent years. However, the National Assembly is still subject to party direction. About 80% of the deputies in the National Assembly are party members. The assembly meets twice yearly for 7-10 weeks each time; elections for members are held every 5 years. There is a separate judicial branch, but it is relatively weak. Overall, there are few lawyers and trial procedures are rudimentary.
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is governed through a highly centralized system dominated by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam), which was formerly the Vietnamese Labor Party (1951-1976). The Socialist Republic of Vietnam exists today as a communist state.
The present 14-member Politburo, elected in April 2006 and headed by the re-elected Communist Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh, determines government policy, and its eight-person Secretariat oversees day-to-day policy implementation. Although there has been some effort to discourage membership in overlapping party and state positions, this practice still continues to a certain extend. Senior Politburo members such as Nguyễn Minh Triết, Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Lê Hồng Anh concurrently also hold high positions in the government and the National Assembly. In addition, the Party's Central Military Commission, which is composed of select Politburo members and additional military leaders, determines military policy.
A Party Congress, meets every 5 years to set the direction of the party and the government. The Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam opened on April 18, 2006 and concluded on April 25, 2006 was attended by 1,176 delegates.
The 160-member Central Committee, which was elected by the Party Congress, usually meets at least twice a year.
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[edit] Executive branch
| Main office holders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
| President | Nguyễn Minh Triết | CPV | 27 June 2006 |
| Vice President | Trương Mỹ Hoa | CPV | July 2002 |
| Prime Minister | Nguyễn Tấn Dũng | CPV | 27 June 2006 |
| First Deputy Prime Minister | Nguyễn Sinh Hùng | CPV | 29 June 2006 |
| Deputy Prime Ministers | Trương Vĩnh Trọng | CPV | 29 June 2006 |
| Phạm Gia Khiêm | CPV | 29 September 1997 | |
| General Secretary | Nông Đức Mạnh | CPV | 22 April 2001 |
The president is elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a five-year term. The prime minister is appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers are appointed by the prime minister. The Cabinet is appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly.
[edit] Legislative branch
The National Assembly (Quoc Hoi) has 498 members, elected for a five year term. Dr. Nguyễn Phú Trọng is Chairman of the National Assembly. Vietnam is a single-party state. This means that only one political party, the Communist Party of Vietnam is legally allowed to hold effective power. At the last elections, 19 may 2002, only the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, a front of the Communist Party of Vietnam, mass organizations and affiliated, and some non-partisans were allowed to participate. 3 members are self-nominated and do not belong to the VVF. 51 seats were won by non-party candidates. The president is elected for a five year term by the parliament.
[edit] Political parties and elections
- The following election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the List of political parties in Vietnam. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Vietnam.
| List | Seats |
|---|---|
Vietnamese Fatherland Front (Mặt Trận Tổ Quốc Việt Nam)
|
495 |
| Self-nominated candidates | 3 |
| Total | 498 |
There are no legal opposition parties in Vietnam, although a number of opposition groups do exist scattered overseas among exile communities within countries such as France and the United States. These communities have supported demonstrations and civil disobedience against the government. The most prominent are the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League, and the Government of Free Vietnam. The Government of Free Vietnam has claimed responsibility for a number of guerrilla raids into Vietnam, which the Vietnamese government has denounced as terrorism.
Former political parties include the nationalist Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng of Nguyễn Thái Học, the Can Lao party of the Ngô Đình Diệm government and the Viet Nam Duy Tan Hoi of Phan Bội Châu during the colonial period.
[edit] Administrative divisions
- Main article: Provinces of Vietnam
Vietnam is divided into fifty-nine provinces (tỉnh, singular and plural): An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Hau Giang, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai.
There are also five municipalities (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương, singular and plural) existing at provincial level:
Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City.
[edit] International organization participation
Vietnam is a member of the United Nations, La Francophonie, ASEAN, and APEC, and applied for membership to the World Trade Organization in 2001. In 2005 it attended the inaugural East Asia Summit, which is the preliminary replacement for ASEAN in the future.
ACCT, APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
[edit] External links
- The Vietnamese Constitution of 1992 (in English)
- The Website of the Communist Party of Vietnam (in English)
- Active Citizens under Political Wraps: Experiences from Myanmar/Burma and Vietnam pub. by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Chiang Mai, Thailand, November 2006, pp 201
