Asia > South-Eastern Asia > Vietnam > Vietnam Government Profile

Vietnam: Vietnam Government Profile

2015/02/20

President Truong Tan Sang

President: Truong Tan Sang

Truong Tan Sang was elected to the largely ceremonial post of president in July 2011 with 97% of the vote in parliament.

He is a former mayor and party chief in Ho Chi Minh City. Before becoming president he served as the de facto Number 2 in charge of the Communist Party, running its day-to-day affairs.

Born in 1949, he was imprisoned from 1971-73 by the US-backed South Vietnamese government at the same time as he served as a communist fighter for the north during the Vietnam War. It ended in 1975 at the same time as the north seized control of the former southern capital, Saigon, reunifying the country.

The prime minister runs the country's day-to-day operations. The National Assembly, or parliament, was viewed in the completed as a rubber stamp that blindly passes the government's policies. In recent years, however, it has started to assert itself additional.

Secretary-general of the Communist Party: Nguyen Phu Trong

The Communist Party holds the real power in Vietnam. It appointed Nguyen Phu Trong as its secretary-general in January 2011, replacing Nong Duc Manh, who retired next 10 years in the post.

He took over as Vietnam faced mounting economic problems, inclunding rising inflation, a growing trade deficit and a weakening currency.

For the previous five years Nguyen Phu Trong had been chief of the National Assembly, using the post to raise the profile of the parliament, traditionally a rubber-stamp body. Born in 1944, he as well before served the Communist Party's chief political theorist.

Nguyen Phu Trong is seen as a conservative, and as favouring close ties with China. Analyst say he was promoted as a compromise candidate and was expected to play the role of consensus-builder rather than drive policy.

His predecessor, Nong Duc Manh, was seen as a moderniser, and sought to speed up economic reforms and to tackle bureaucracy and deep-rooted corruption.

The Communist Party leadership recommends candidates for the posts of president and prime minister.

Prime minister: Nguyen Tan Dung

Nguyen Tan Dung was elected to the post by parliament in 2006 and re-elected in July 2011, at the approbation of the Communist Party.

The former Viet Cong communist guerrilla and one-time central bank governor is considered a reformer, but Vietnam - one of the fastest growing nations in Asia - has struggled with economic woes during his tenure.

Correspondents say his record is mixed. He has been a strong supporter of national-owned conglomerates, such as the shipbuilding group Vinashin, which was revealed to be near bankruptcy in 2010 and restructured.

He came under public pressure to resign next several top Vinashin officials were jailed for their roles in the scandal, but he was spared disciplinary action by the Communist Party.

Private economists generally deride his embrace of lumbering national firms, saying the sector warps the competitive environment, saps precious capital needed elsewhere and is a major source of economic inefficiencies.

In June 2013, Mr Dung survived a no-confidence ballot in the national assembly, but with his position weakened next additional than 30 % of its members voted against him. He bounced back the following year and won broad backing from parliament, suggesting his government may have weathered the storm from a series of economic setbacks.

Under Nguyen Tan Dung's leadership, international human rights groups accuse Vietnam of taking a tougher stance against political dissidents, inclunding those peacefully expressing their views online. The government does not tolerate any threat to its one-party policy, and people can be jailed for publicly calling for a multiparty system.

Government

Government Type: Communist state

A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, reaffirming the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in politics and society, and outlining government reorganization and increased economic freedom. 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 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 composed of deputy prime ministers and the heads of ministries and agencies, 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. More than 90% of the deputies in the National Assembly are Communist Party members. The National Assembly meets twice yearly for 7-10 weeks each time; elections for members are held every 5 years, although its Standing Committee meets monthly and there are now over 140 "full-time" deputies who function on various committees. In 2007, the National Assembly introduced parliamentary "question time," in which cabinet ministers must answer often-pointed questions from National Assembly members. There is a separate judicial branch, but it is still relatively weak. There are few lawyers and trial procedures are rudimentary.

The Politburo, selected during the Party Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and headed by the Communist Party General Secretary, determines government policy; its Secretariat oversees day-to-day policy implementation. In addition, the Communist 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 most recent Party Congress, the Eleventh, met in January 2011. The Central Committee is elected by the Party Congress and usually meets at least twice a year.

Capital: Hanoi - 2.668 million (2009)

Other Major Cities: Ho Chi Minh City 5.976 million; Haiphong 1.941 million; Da Nang 807,000 (2009)

Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural)

Provinces:

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,
Dac Lak,
Dac Nong,
Dien Bien,
Dong Nai,
Dong Thap,
Gia Lai,
Ha Giang,
Ha Nam,
Ha Tinh,
Hai Duong,
Hau Giang,
Hoa Binh,
Hung Yen,
Khanh Hoa,
Kien Giang,
Kon Tum,


Municipalities:

Can Tho,
Da Nang,
Ha Noi,
Hai Phong,
Ho Chi Minh City

 

 

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
 

 

Independence Date: 2 September 1945 (from France)

Legal System: civil law system; note - the civil code of 2005 reflects a European style civil law. Vietnam has not submitted an International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction declaration; and is a non-party state to the International criminal court (ICCt).

vietnameseprovincesmap.png

Government type: 

Communist state

Administrative divisions: 

58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural) provinces: 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, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, 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 municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City

Independence: 

2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday: 

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution: 

15 Apr.1992

Legal system: 

based on communist legal theory and French civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 

18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: 

unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (493 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 20 May 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493 candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front

Judicial branch: 

Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president for a five-year term)

Political parties and leaders : 

Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders: 

8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the government

International organization participation: 

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CICA (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Flag description: 

red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center; red symbolizes revolution and blood, the five-pointed star represents the five elements of the populace - peasants, workers, intellectuals, traders, and soldiers - that unite to build socialism