National Assembly of Vietnam Quốc hội Việt Nam | |
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| 15th National Assembly | |
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 Logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 16 August 1945; 80 years ago (1945-08-16) (original) 2 July 1976; 49 years ago (1976-07-02) (current form) |
| Preceded by |  National Assembly People's Assembly |
| Leadership | |
Permanent Vice Chairman | Vacant |
Vice Chairman | |
Secretary-General | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 500 |
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Political groups | Vietnamese Fatherland Front (479)
Vacant (21)
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Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
| Plurality block voting | |
First election | 6 January 1946 |
Last election | 23 May 2021 |
Next election | 15 March 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Diên Hồng Hall of theNational Assembly House, Hanoi | |
| Website | |
| (in English)quochoi.vn | |
| Rules | |
| Law on organization of the National Assembly (48/VBHN-VPQH) | |
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TheNational Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (N.A.;Vietnamese:Quốc hội nước Cộng hoà xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam)[a] is theunicameralparliament andhighest organ of state power ofVietnam. The National Assembly is the only branch of government in Vietnam and, in accordance with the principle ofunified power, all state organs are subservient to it.
The National Assembly is a 500-delegateunicameral body elected to a five-year term. It normally sits twice a year, or more frequently if called for by theNational Assembly Standing Committee.The assembly appoints thepresident (head of state), theprime minister (head of government), thechief justice of theSupreme People's Court of Vietnam, the head of theSupreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam (or 'Supreme People's Office of Supervision and Inspection'), and the 21-member Government.
Constitutionally, the National Assembly is the highest government organization and the highest-level representative body of the people. It has the power to draw up, adopt, and amend theconstitution and to make and amend laws. It also has the responsibility to legislate and implement state plans and budgets. Through its constitution-making powers it defines its own role and the roles of theVietnamese State President, theVietnamese Government, the local people's councils and people's committees, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuracy. The assembly can replace and remove government ministers, the chief justice of theSupreme People's Court, and the procurator general of theSupreme People's Procuracy. Finally, it has thede jure power to initiate or conclude wars and to assume other duties and powers it deems necessary.
In practice, like its counterparts in othercommunist states, the National Assembly has been characterized as arubber stamp body of theCommunist Party of Vietnam (CPV) or only being able to affect issues of low sensitivity to the regime. The CPV controls nomination and election processes at every level. The CPV has great influence over the executive and exercises control through the 150-memberCentral Committee, which elects the 15-memberPolitburo at national party congresses held every five years. All senior government positions are held by members of the party.[6] While vested with great lawmaking and oversight powers on paper, in practice the National Assembly does little more than ratify decisions already made by the CPV and its Politburo and only opposes the party on rare occasions, such as a rejection of a high speed rail between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2010.[7]
The precursor of the current National Assembly of Vietnam was the National Representatives' Congress (Đại hội đại biểu quốc dân), convened on August 16, 1945, in the northern province ofTuyên Quang. This Congress supportedViet Minh's nationwide general uprising policy againstJapanese andFrench forces in Vietnam. It also appointed the National Liberation Committee (Uỷ ban dân tộc giải phóng) as a provisional government.
After a series of events which was later called collectively the "August Revolution",Viet Minh seized the power all over the country, and theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam (Việt Nam dân chủ cộng hoà) was declared byHồ Chí Minh inHanoi on September 2, 1945. On January 6, 1946, the firstgeneral election ever in Vietnam was held all over the country in which all people 18 years old or older were eligible to vote.
The first session of the First National Assembly (Quốc hội khoá I) took place on March 2, 1946 with nearly 300 deputies in theHanoi Opera House.Nguyễn Văn Tố was appointed as the Chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee. The First National Assembly approvedHồ Chí Minh as the head of government and his cabinet, and the former EmperorBảo Đại as "the Supreme Advisor". The second session,Bùi Bằng Đoàn was appointed to be the Chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee.Tôn Đức Thắng was Acting Chairman from 1948, and from 1955, when Đoàn died, he was Chairman of the Standing Committee.
The first and second Constitutions of theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam were passed by this National Assembly in 1946 and 1959, respectively.The term of the First National Assembly was prolonged (14 years) due to the war situation in Vietnam, particularly thepartition of Vietnam according to theGeneva Accords of 1954. From 1954 to 1976, the National Assembly's activities were only effective inNorth Vietnam.
Because theState of Vietnam claimed that it did not sign the Geneva Accords and doubted about the possibility of free elections in the North in July 1955, a nationwide general election for reunification could not be organized. The Second National Assembly was formed by 362 elected deputies of the North and 91 deputies of the South from the First National Assembly who continued their term.Trường Chinh was appointed as the Chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee and held this position until 1981.
The Third National Assembly consisted of 366 elected deputies from the North and 87 deputies continuing their term. The Third National Assembly's term was prolonged due to the war situation.PresidentHồ Chí Minh died during the Third National Assembly's term, and was succeeded byTôn Đức Thắng.
Four hundred and twenty deputies were elected for the Fourth National Assembly. During the fourth term, North Vietnam signed theParis Peace Accords, recognizing theRepublic of Vietnam in South Vietnam.
The Fifth National Assembly consisted of 424 elected deputies. The fifth term was the shortest National Assembly's term as it was shortened to organize the nationwide general election after there-unification of Vietnam.
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Vietnamese. (March 2021)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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The predecessor of theRepublic of Vietnam was theState of Vietnam (1949–55), which had no parliament but only a National Advisory Council of 45 people appointed by the Chief of State. Due towar conditions, the state could not hold parliamentary elections but could only hold municipal elections in January 1953.[8] After the Republic of Vietnam was formed in 1955, it organizedparliamentary elections on 4 March 1956, leading to the establishment of its ownparliament and constitution on 26 October that year. It initially had a unicameral parliament. After thenew constitution was passed in 1967, it had two parliamentary chambers: theSenate (Thượng-nghị-viện, literallyUpper Parliament) and theHouse of Representatives (Hạ-nghị-viện, literallyLower Parliament).
After theFall of Saigon, theRepublic of South Vietnam also held the People's Assembly (Đại hội đại biểu Nhân dân) as its sole legislature.
Following a consultative conference between North and South Vietnam for their reunification in November 1975, a general parliament election took place on April 25 of the following year. The voters selected 492 members, of which 243 represented the South and 249 the North. In this term, the National Assembly adopted the name "the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" (Cộng hoà xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam) for the re-unified country on 2 July 1976, merged corresponding organizations between the Government ofNorth Vietnam andSouth Vietnam, and renamed Saigon asHo Chi Minh City. It also approved the new Constitution in 1980.
The "sixth" numbering indicates that it is the constitutional continuation of the National Assembly of theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam in the North.
The Seventh National Assembly and its 496 members witnessed the end of the Vietnamese centralized and heavily planned economy and theCPV's launch of the Renewal Policy (Đổi mới) to adopt market economy.Trường Chinh was elected asChairman of the State Council andNguyễn Hữu Thọ was elected as Chairman of the National Assembly.
In previous elections, because successful candidates were chosen in advance, the electoral process was not genuine. No one could run for office unless approved by the Communist Party, and in many cases the local body of the party simply appointed the candidates. Nevertheless, every citizen had a duty to vote, and, although the balloting was secret, the electorate, through electoral study sessions, received directives from the party concerning who should be elected. The elections in 1987, however, were comparatively open by Vietnamese standards. It was evident that the party was tolerating a wider choice in candidates and more debate.The 1987 election chose 496 deputies for the Eighth National Assembly. In this term, the National Assembly approved the 1992 Constitution, in which the citizen's personal ownership of properties in business was guaranteed.Lê Quang Đạo was appointed to be the National Assembly's Chairman.
The 1992 election established the first National Assembly after the 1992 Constitution came into effect. From this term, the National Assembly's agenda has been filled with law-making procedures to serve theĐổi mới Policy. National Assembly consisted of 395 elected deputies. In this term,Nông Đức Mạnh was elected as the 7th Chairman of the National Assembly.
National Assembly consisted of 450 elected deputies. In this term, ChairmanNông Đức Mạnh was re-elected as the chairman of the National Assembly and become the second person to be re-elected afterTrường Chinh. In the middle of 2001, he was chosen to be the CPV's secretary-general in its Ninth National Congress and ceased his role as the chairman of the National Assembly.Nguyễn Văn An was appointed to replace Mạnh and he became the 8th chairman of the National Assembly.
National Assembly consisted of 498 elected deputies. In this term, Nguyễn Văn An was elected as the chairman of the National Assembly. NA Vice Chairpersons:Trương Quang Được, Nguyễn Phúc Thanh, Nguyễn Văn Yểu.After the Tenth National Congress of CPV, he retired. In the middle of 2006,Nguyễn Phú Trọng was appointed as the 9th chairman of the National Assembly.
The National Assembly consisted of 493 elected deputies. In this term,Nguyễn Phú Trọng was elected as the 10th Chairman of the National Assembly.[9] NA Vice Chairpersons:Tòng Thị Phóng (first),Nguyễn Đức Kiên, Huỳnh Ngọc Sơn and Uông Chu Lưu
National Assembly consisted of 500 elected deputies. In this term,Nguyễn Sinh Hùng was elected as the 11th Chairman of the National Assembly. NA Vice Chairpersons: Tòng Thị Phóng (first), Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, Uông Chu Lưu and Huỳnh Ngọc Sơn.
National Assembly consisted of 496 elected deputies. In this term,Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân was elected as the 12th Chairperson of the National Assembly and first woman ever to hold this position. NA Vice Chairpersons: Tòng Thị Phóng (first), Uông Chu Lưu, Phùng Quốc Hiển andĐỗ Bá Tỵ.
National Assembly consisted of 499 elected deputies. In this term,Vương Đình Huệ was elected as the Chairman of the National Assembly. NA Vice Chairpersons:Trần Thanh Mẫn (first),Nguyễn Khắc Định,Nguyễn Đức Hải andTrần Quang Phương.
Other agencies that are elected by the National Assembly, but function independently, are:
In the2021 national election, theCommunist Party of Vietnam won 486 seats, while non-partisan (independent) candidates (still affiliated with the Communist Party) won the remaining 14.
However one elected delegate was disciplined and released from his duties due to legal offenses. Therefore, the current National Assembly of Vietnam consists of 499 delegates instead of 500 delegates.[citation needed]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Country Studies.Federal Research Division. -Country Study andprofile
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