The 16th National Assembly (NA) officially commenced the first session in Hanoi on April 6, marking its first working day under the chairmanship of Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

Party General Secretary To Lam (fourth from right), on behalf of deputies of the 16th National Assembly, presents flowers to congratulate Chairman of the 16th NA Tran Thanh Man on April 6.

In the morning, the opening session was broadcast live by Vietnam Television and Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

The opening address was delivered by Chairman of the 15th NA Man. The legislature also listened to remarks from Party General Secretary To Lam, a report reviewing the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term, and a report on the verification results of NA deputies’ eligibility.

The legislature then met in closed session, where lawmakers adopted a resolution on the number of Standing Committee members, with all 491 deputies present voting in favour, representing 98.20% of the total number of NA deputies.

Meanwhile, the resolutions on candidates for the election of the NA Chairperson, Vice Chairpersons, and Standing Committee members received 492 votes in favour, accounting for 100% of those present and 98.40% of the full membership. The NA also established a vote-counting board and proceeded to elect the Chairperson of the 16th tenure by secret ballot.

After that, the legislature convened in plenary session in the main hall, with proceedings broadcast live.

During this session, deputies adopted the resolution on the Chairperson election, with 491 votes in favour from all deputies present. Later, Chairman of the 16th NA Man took the oath of office and delivered his inaugural address.

In the afternoon, meeting again in closed session under the direction of the re-elected Chairman, lawmakers conducted secret ballots to elect the vice chairpersons of the 16th NA and members of its Standing Committee.

The assembly then approved two resolutions confirming these election results.

The resolution on the election of the vice chairpersons secured 496 votes in favour from all the deputies present at the sitting. Those elected as vice chairpersons of the 16th NA are Do Van Chien, Nguyen Khac Dinh, Nguyen Thi Thanh, Nguyen Hong Dien, Nguyen Doan Anh, and Nguyen Thi Hong.

The resolution on the election of the 16th NA Standing Committee members secured support from all 487 deputies present.

Several additional personnel-related resolutions were also passed. The resolution on the election of the Chairperson of the NA Council for Ethnic Affairs and heads of NA committees received all 493 votes in favour.

Those elected include Lam Van Man as Chairman of the NA Council for Ethnic Affairs, Phan Chi Hieu as Chairman of the NA Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs, and Phan Van Mai as Chairman of the Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs, among others.

The resolution on the election of NA Secretary General and Chairperson of the NA Office was approved with 481 votes in favour from all deputies present, with Le Quang Manh elected to the post.

Meanwhile, the resolution on the election of the Auditor General of the State Audit Office of Vietnam for the 2026–2031 term received all 485 votes in favour, with Nguyen Huu Nghia elected.

On April 7, the legislature is scheduled to meet in closed session in the morning to carry out procedures for the election of the State President.

This will be followed by a plenary sitting broadcast live, during which the resolution on the election of the State President will be voted on.

The newly elected President will then take the oath of office and deliver an inaugural address.

The final activities of the morning will take place in a further closed session, during which the legislature will consider and vote on a resolution on the organisational structure of the Government for the 2026–2031 term; approve the candidate list for key positions, namely the Prime Minister, Vice State President, Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court, and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy; and proceed to elect the Government leader by secret ballot.

In the afternoon plenary session, deputies will vote on a resolution on the election of the PM, followed by the oath-taking ceremony and inaugural address. The assembly will then meet in closed session to elect the Vice State President, the Chief Justice, and the Prosecutor General.

Subsequently, in plenary session, the NA will work on a resolution on the election of the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court, followed by the oath-taking ceremony and inaugural address.

The assembly later will meet in closed session to vote on resolutions on the election of the Vice State President and the Prosecutor General, and to work on the Chief Justice’s proposal for the appointment of judges to the Supreme People’s Court.

500 deputies to 16th National Assembly

At a press conference on March 21, 2026, the National Election Council announced the composition of the 16th National Assembly, highlighting representation of women, ethnic minorities, non-Party members and younger deputies, as well as a high proportion of members with postgraduate qualifications.

 

Key milestones following National Assembly and People’s Council elections

On March 15, 2026, voters nationwide cast their ballots to elect deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term. After the vote, the National Election Council and local election committees continue key procedures to complete the electoral process in accordance with the law.

 

Digital map for 2026–2031 National Assembly and Hanoi People’s Council elections

To enhance public communication and promote digital transformation in election work, the Hanoi chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front has introduced a digital map of information on the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and the Hanoi People’s Council for the 2026–2031 term. The digital map helps expand the application of information technology and digital transformation in providing services and information to voters across the city.

 

Nationwide voting for 16th National Assembly, People’s Councils for 2026-2031 begins

According to the National Election Council, from 864 candidates, voters will elect 500 deputies to the 16th National Assembly (1.73 candidates per seat). For provincial-level People’s Councils, voters will elect 2,552 deputies from 4,217 candidates (1.65 candidates per seat). For commune-level People’s Councils, voters will elect 72,611 deputies from 120,873 candidates (1.66 candidates per seat).