Vietnam has had four Constitutions- adopted in the years 1946, 1959 and 1980 and 1992. The National Assembly (the Parliament) is unicameral with 500 deputies.  The current National Assembly (12th) of Vietnam has been functioning since end-July, 2007. The Prime Minister is the Executive Head of the Government who has powers to nominate Cabinet Ministers. The nominations, however, have to be endorsed by the National Assembly. The National Assembly elects the State President and Vice Presidents, the National Assembly Chairman and Vice Chairmen as well as members of the National Assembly Standing Committees, the Prime Minister, the president of the Supreme People's Court and the chairman of the Supreme People's Procuracy.

      The most important political institution in Vietnam is the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), founded in 1930. The Central Committee of the Communist Party consists of 160 full members and 21 alternate members.  The Politburo of the Central Committee, which is the most important organisation of the Party, has 14 full members.  The General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party presides over the Party’s Secretariat which is eight member strong.  He is elected by the Central Committee. The Secretariat directs the tasks of the Party organisations and the co-ordination of the Party and state bureaucracies in carrying out the resolutions of the Central Committee and the Politburo; it also has the responsibility for implementing party resolutions.  The 10th Party Congress was held in April 2006. Mr. Nong Duc Manh, was re-elected as the General Secretary of the Party.