Government & politics — Vietnam
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Vietnam: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
- Country Name
Vietnam
- Local - Long
Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam
- Local - Short
Viet Nam
- Abbreviation
SRV
- Former Name
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
- Etymology- history of name
"Viet nam" translates as "Viet south," where "Viet" is an ethnic self identification dating to a second century B.C. kingdom and "nam" refers to its location in relation to other Viet kingdoms
- Independence
2 September 1945 (from France)
- National Holiday
Independence Day (National Day), 2 September (1945)
Political system
- Government Type
communist state
- Constitution
- history: several previous; latest adopted 28 November 2013,
- effective 1 January 2014 amendments: proposed by the president, by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, or by at least two thirds of the National Assembly membership; a decision to draft an amendment requires approval by at least a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership, followed by the formation of a constitutional drafting committee to write a draft and collect citizens’ opinions; passage requires at least two-thirds majority of the Assembly membership; the Assembly can opt to conduct a referendum
- Legal System:
civil law system; note - the civil code of 2005 reflects a European-style civil law
- Executive Branch:
- Prime Minister Pham Minh CHINH (since 26 July 2021) cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, confirmed by the National Assembly,
- and appointed by the president election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a single 5-year term; prime minister recommended by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed
- by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly note: in August 2024, To LAM was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the country’s most powerful position
- Legislative Branch:
Description
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats - number following 2021 election - 499; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections
last held on 23 May 2021 (next to be held in spring 2026)
Election Results
- percent of vote by party - CPV 97.2%, 2.8% non-party
- seats by party - CPV 486, non-party 14;
Composition
342 men, 151 women, percentage women 30.6%
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): Supreme People's Court (consists of the ch
- ief justice and 13 judges) judge selection and term of office: chief justice elected by the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the president for a 5-year, renewable term; deputy chief justice appointed by the president from among the judges for a 5-year term; judges appointed by the president and confirmed
- by the National Assembly for 5-year terms subordinate courts: High Courts (administrative, civil, criminal, economic, labor, family, juvenile); provincial courts; district courts; Military Court; note - the National Assembly Standing Committee can establish special tribunals upon the recommendation of the chief justice
- Regions or States:
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, Dak Lak, Dak 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 (Hanoi), Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [General Secretary Nguyen Phu TRONG]
- Note: other parties proscribed
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- no citizenship by descent only: at least one pa
- no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Hanoi (Ha Noi)
- Capital - geographic coordinate
21 02 N, 105 51 E
- Capital Time Difference
UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
International role
- International Organization Participation:
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (2024)
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Marc KNAPPER (since 11 February 2022) embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Hanoi mailing address: 4550 Hanoi Place, Washington, DC 20521-4550
telephone
[84] (24) 3850-5000
FAX
[84] (24) 3850-5010
Email address and website
- ACShanoi@state.gov
- https://vn.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general
Ho Chi Minh City
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Nguyen Quoc DUNG (since 19 April 2022)
chancery
1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
telephone
[1] (202) 861-0737
FAX
[1] (202) 861-0917
Email address and website
- vanphong@vietnamembassy.us
- http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/
consulate(s) general
Houston, San Francisco consulate(s): New York
