Find out these intriguing facts about the politics of Vietnam before you embark on your trip of a lifetime.
1. Vietnam is a socialist state which is ruled by a single party.
2. The Communist Party of Vietnam (CVP) is therefore the only legal political party in Vietnam. Forming other political parties is forbidden.
3. The highest position in the CVP is the General Secretary, who is the Party leader and the head of the Politburo (Political Bureau). The Politburo is responsible for the general direction of the government and executes policies that have been approved. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is the current leader of the party – he assumed office in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016.
4. The next two most influential positions in the CVP are the President of Vietnam – who is the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Vietnam, who is the head of government. The current President is Tran Dai Quang, who is been in post since 2016. The current Prime Minister – Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has also served in post since 2016.
5. The first President and Prime Minister of Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh – the communist revolutionary leader who was a key figure in the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. Known popularly as Uncle Ho, Ho Chi Minh helped define the politics of Vietnam today.
6. The ideologies of the CVP are rooted in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought. In recent years, the party has stopped supporting a specific class and instead aims to represent the “interests of the entire people”.
7. The lessening emphasis on Marxism-Leninism in Vietnam has seen the government support ideas of nationalism, developmentalism, the protection of tradition and entrepreneurship in recent years.
8. With a total area of 331,210 km², Vietnam is divided into 59 provinces, all of which are administered by the national government. Districts, towns and rural communities are governed by people’s councils, which are locally elected.
9. Parliamentary elections happen every five years. All Vietnamese citizens aged over 18 have the right to vote, and anyone over 21 can run as a candidate.
10. Voter turnout at the 2016 elections was 99.51%.
The politics of Vietnam is just the beginning – get to know Vietnam for yourself on
guided discovery tours of Vietnam with Mr Linh’s Adventures.