Vietnam’s 5-Year National Elections at the Hanoi Congress

Every five years, Vietnam’s critical National Congress meetings take place in Hanoi to shape the country’s future leadership and direction. The high-profile political events see the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party elect key leadership roles and set major policies for the next half-decade. Understanding Vietnam’s quinquennial election processes provides insights into this rapidly developing nation.

The National Congress represents the supreme institutional manifestation of the Vietnamese Communist Party. The gathering has taken place 12 times since 1941 at five-year intervals – with a few historical exceptions. The multi-day meetings facilitate critical party objectives such as:
– Reviewing progress and challenges over the past 5 years in governance, socioeconomics, defense, diplomacy and other realms

– Electing the next Central Committee comprising top party leaders
– Determining key leadership positions like General Secretary, President, Prime Minister, National Assembly Chairperson and other critical roles
– Debate and decide on amendments to party statutes and major policies to implement across legal, social and economic spheres over the next five years
– Project the party’s vision forward through the next era

The months leading up to the National Congress see extensive preparation within party cells across Vietnam’s 63 provinces and central agencies. Local party conferences elect delegates to attend the National Congress representing regional interests.
The highly publicized National Congress events occur every five years in Hanoi, usually rotating between the My Dinh National Convention Center and the Ba Dinh Square State Guesthouse complexes. They may last up to two weeks given the vast array of critical activities underway.

The opening session sees current leadership give keynote addresses summarizing national developments in areas. They include gross domestic product growth, employment, standards of living, industrial outputs, agricultural yields, poverty reduction and governance benchmarks. Congress delegates then break into committees to review reports, debate policies and directions across sectors. Discussions continue in smaller groups and multiple plenary sessions over several days.
Midway through, delegates elect members of the next Central Committee usually consisting of 180 senior party officials that will govern Vietnam over the next five-year term. Congress delegates also elect the next Central Committee Inspection Commission responsible for party discipline.
On the final day, the newly elected Central Committee convenes to select the next Politburo – the highest decision-making body with about 20 top party leaders. Then the Politburo chooses Vietnam’s key leadership circle including the General Secretary, President, Prime Minister and National Assembly chairperson in that order.

The chosen party General Secretary holds the highest position controlling the Politburo for the next five years. The final session sees the new General Secretary give a keystone address outlining the Congress’ election decisions and Vietnam’s development vision moving forward into the next era. If you are in Vietnam and interested in discovering more about Hanoi – the capital and its significance, we invite you to join us at Free Walking Tours Hanoi. We’ll take you across the building, and provide you with a unique perspective of the city. Book now and don’t miss out on this amazing experience.