Vietnam Politics

The politics of Vietnam takes place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. The central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam is reaffirmed in the current constitution, adopted in April 1992. Though Vietnam remains a single-party state, adherence to ideological orthodoxy has become less important than economic development as a national priority.

Presidential Palace, Hanoi 

All Vietnamese political organizations are under Vietnamese Communist Party control. There is no separation of powers between executive, legislative and judicial branches. Communist Party policy is set by a fourteen-member Politburo. The top four positions in the Politburo are held by Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh, General Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh, State President Nguyễn Minh Triết, and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng. The members of the Politburo were selected by the party's 160-member central committee in April 2006. The Party Secretariat, which consists of eight Politburo members, oversees day-to-day policy implementation.

Aside from the Communist Party, the most powerful institutions within the Vietnamese government are the executive agencies created by the 1992 constitution: the offices of the president and the prime minister. The Vietnamese President 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 heads a cabinet currently composed of three deputy prime ministers and the heads of twenty-six ministries and commissions, all confirmed by the National Assembly.

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 Communist Party direction. About 80% of the deputies in the National Assembly are Communist Party members. The assembly meets twice yearly for seven to ten days each time; elections for members are held every five 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 (Đảng lao động Việt Nam) (1951-1976). The Socialist Republic of Vietnam exists today as a communist state.

Although there has been some effort to discourage membership in overlapping party and state positions, this practice still continues to a certain extent. 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 five 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.