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Viet Nam
Women in decision-making positions
29%
Members of local deliberative bodies are women (77,666 elected women)
No woman is Head of State or Government
30%
Parliamentarians are women
11%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Viet Nam is a unitary republic with two spheres of government: central and local.

One tier of central government and three tiers of local government composed of provinces or city provinces; districts, towns and cities; municipalities, townlets and wards.
Central government
  • Head of State: The State President is elected by the National Assembly from amongst its members.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is proposed by the State President and elected by the National Assembly.
  • Legislative body: The National Assembly is a unicameral legislature whose members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Government is composed of the Prime Minister, the deputy prime ministers, the ministers, and the heads of organs of ministerial rank. The Prime Minister submits to the National Assembly for approval on the appointment of ministers; the State President appoints the ministers and on the basis of resolutions of the National Assembly.
Local government
  • Organization: Local government is organized into three tiers: an upper tier of provincial-level local government units (58 provinces (tỉnh) and five city-provinces (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương)), an intermediate tier of district-level local government units (710 districts (huyện/ quận), towns (thị xã), and cities (thành phố thuộc thành phố trực thuộc trung ương/ thành phố trực thuộc tỉnh)), and a lower tier of municipal-level local government units (11,145 municipalities (xã), townlets (thị trấn, and wards (phường)).
  • Rural local government includes provinces, rural districts, and municipalities. Urban local government includes city-provinces, urban districts, towns, cities, municipalities, wards, and townlets.
  • Autonomies: Local government is responsible for promulgating and implementing resolutions of the people’s council and adopting and executing the local budget.
  • Ministerial oversight: The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for central government oversight on local government.

Overview of local government

Local government composition
Provincial-level government

Deliberative body: The provincial-level people’s council (Hội Đồng Nhân Dân) is composed of 10-85 elected members. Hanoi Capital City and Ho Chi Minh City are exceptions, as special-grade city-provinces, and have 95 elected members each. A chairperson is elected by and from the people’s council to preside over it; the chairperson is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The people’s committee (Uỷ Ban Nhân Dân) is composed of members elected by and from the people’s council, including: the president, three to five vice-presidents, and additional members who are the heads of professional divisions, military affairs, and public security affairs.

District-level government

Deliberative body: The district-level people’s council (Hội Đồng Nhân Dân) is composed of 30-40 elected members. A chairperson is elected by and from the people’s council to preside over it; the chairperson is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The people’s committee (Uỷ Ban Nhân Dân) is composed of members elected by and from the people’s council, including: the president, two or three vice-presidents, and additional members who are the heads of professional divisions, military affairs, and public security affairs.

Municipal-level government

Deliberative body: The municipal-level people’s council (Hội Đồng Nhân Dân) is composed of 15-30 elected members. A chairperson is elected by and from the people’s council to preside over it; the chairperson is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The people’s committee (Uỷ Ban Nhân Dân) is composed of members elected by and from the people’s council, including: the president, one or two vice-presidents, and additional members who are the heads of professional divisions, military affairs, and public security affairs.

Local government elections
Electoral system

Electoral system for deliberative bodies: majority/plurality (block vote)

  • Each province/district/municipality is organized into electoral constituencies. Each constituency is entitled to elect up to five deputies.
  • Each voter is to choose as many candidates as the number of deputies to be elected at the electoral unit.
  • The elected candidates must be those who poll more than half of the valid votes.

Electoral system for executive bodies: no direct elections

  • The committees and presidents are elected by and from the councils.

Source: Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils, 2015, articles 10, 74 and 78

Quotas
  • Gender quotas: Legislated candidate quotas

At least 35% of the total people’s council candidates must be women.

  • Additional quotas: No

Source: Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils, 2015, article 9

Term of elections
  • Term length: 5 years
  • Last local elections: 2021
  • Next local elections: 2026
Electoral management body

National Election Commission; election commissions of provinces, districts, and municipalities

National legal framework on local government
National legal framework
  • Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, 1992 (amended in 2013);
  • Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils, 2015;
  • Law on Organization of the Government, 2015 (amended through 2020);
  • Law on Organizing the Local Government, 2015 (amended through 2020).
Constitutional provisions on local government

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Viet Nam. According to Article 112 of the 1992 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (amended in 2013), “local governments organize and ensure the implementation of the Constitution and the laws at the local area, deal with local issues provided by the law, and are subject to the examination and supervision of superior state organs.”

Legislative provisions on local government

The National Assembly is responsible for establishing the national legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation which regulates local government is the Law on Organizing Local Government of 2015 (amended through 2020), which provides regulations on the organization and operation of local government.

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2023.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 3 October 2023.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2023.

4. IPU and UN Women: Data on share of women in ministerial positions as of 1 January 2023.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2022.