Nearly 79 million voters nationwide head to the polls on March 15

Voters directly excercise their electoral rights

The election is a major political event and a nationwide civic occasion, enabling voters to exercise their rights and responsibilities by selecting outstanding representatives who will represent the will, aspirations and mastery of the people in the National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels.

Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam attended the opening ceremony and cast his ballot at the polling station located at Phan Dinh Phung High School, Polling Area No. 2, Ba Dinh Ward, Hanoi. Joining him at the polling station were Politburo member and Standing member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu; Politburo members and Secretaries of the Party Central Committee including Le Minh Hung, Head of the Central Commission for Organization, and Pham Gia Tuc, Chief of the Office of the Party Central Committee; as well as Politburo member and Hanoi Party Secretary Nguyen Duy Ngoc. Photo: VGP

According to reports from 34 provinces and centrally governed cities, voter lists have been publicly posted. Nationwide, 78,928,647 voters are expected to cast their ballots at 72,195 polling stations. The number of voters will continue to be updated by localities until 24 hours on election day.

Earlier, the National Election Council issued a resolution announcing a list of 864 official candidates for deputies to the 16th National Assembly across 182 electoral units nationwide.

Of these, 217 candidates were nominated by central agencies and 647 by localities, equivalent to 1,73 candidates per seat, ensuring the required surplus under the Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils. The candidate structure follows the prescribed orientation regarding composition and representation, with emphasis on the proportion of full-time deputies, women and ethnic minorities.

The candidate composition broadly reflects social representation, including 45,37% women, 21,64% under the age of 40, 21,76% ethnic minorities, 7,41% non-Party members, and 27,31% re-election candidates. There are also five self-nominated candidates.

For provincial-level People’s Councils, 2,552 deputies will be elected from 4,217 candidates, equivalent to 1,65 candidates per seat.

At the commune level, 72,611 deputies will be elected from 120,873 candidates, equivalent to 1,66 candidates per seat.

Under the Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils, voters must directly cast their ballots and are not allowed to ask others to vote on their behalf, except in special cases prescribed by law.

Polling Area No. 03, Lung Cu Commune, Ha Giang Province. Photo: Nam Nguyen.

What documents should voters bring to polling station?

When arriving at a polling station, voters must present their voter card. This is a mandatory document for all voters and serves as the basis for the election team to confirm that the voter’s name is included in the electoral roll for the polling area.

In addition to the voter card, voters are advised to bring a valid identification document such as a citizen identity card, passport or other lawful identification, which may be used if the voter card is torn, damaged or lost on election day.

If the voter card is torn or damaged, voters should immediately notify the election team so that it can be withdrawn and handled in accordance with regulations.

At polling stations, voters are provided with ballot papers corresponding to each level of election. In this election, each voter receives ballots for National Assembly deputies as well as ballots for provincial- and commune-level People’s Council representatives within their electoral unit.

Voters select their preferred candidates by crossing out the names of those they do not choose and retaining the names of those they support. The number of retained names must not exceed the number of seats allocated to the electoral unit. Ballots are completed inside the voting booth to ensure the secrecy of the vote.

At 6 a.m on March 15, Polling Area No. 3 in Lung Cu Commune, Tuyen Quang Province was already crowded with voters arriving early to cast their ballots.

Voting generally begins at 7a.m and ends at 7 p.m. Depending on specific conditions, polling stations may open earlier but not before 5 a.m, or close later but not later than 9 p.m. If all voters in a polling area have already cast their ballots, voting may end earlier.

To ensure the voting rights of all citizens, the law provides for the use of mobile ballot boxes for elderly, ill or disabled voters and those unable to come to polling stations for special reasons. Mobile ballot boxes are also used for voters who are temporarily detained or held in custody in accordance with the law.

Below are several images recorded at polling stations nationwide and continuously updated:

Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam and Standing member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu casting their ballots at Polling Area No. 2, Ba Dinh Ward, Hanoi.

State President Luong Cuong exercising his voting right at Polling Area No. 26, Hoan Kiem Ward, Hanoi. Photo: VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse casting their ballots in Tay Ho Ward, Hanoi. The ward has 68,769 voters, distributed across 68 residential groups and 27 polling stations. Election preparations in Tay Ho Ward were conducted comprehensively and strictly in accordance with legal procedures, ensuring democratic principles, transparency, safety and convenience for voters participating in the election.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the National Election Council, casting his ballot at Polling Area No. 14, Hoc Mon Commune, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: VGP

Additional images were also recorded at the Hung Dao commune location in Hanoi.