SUMMARY
The Government of Vietnam (North Vietnam) was established after present-day Vietnam, then split between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, gained independence from France through the Geneva Accords in 1954. The Government of Vietnam (North Vietnam) was controlled by the communist Viet minh, which established a one-party state led by Ho Chi Minh. However, relations between the two countries remained closely linked - an interstate conflict between North and South Vietnam broke out in 1965 and ended in 1976 with the unification of the North and South. After unification, the country was formally called Socialist Republic of Vietnam, simplified as Vietnam in UCDP.
Following unification, the Government of Vietnam (North Vietnam) has continued to rule as a communist one-party state, despite the more capitalist orientation of South Vietnam previously. The Vietnamese Fatherland Front permeates Vietnamese society and encompasses not only the communist party but also the National Liberation Front (FNL), official catholic and Buddhist organizations as well as youth and women’s organizations. According to the constitution, the Communist party (Dan Cong San Viet Nam) is the leading force in society and the only legal political entity.
The central committee and a polit bureau lead the country with the general secretary as paramount leader. The legislative parliament is the national assembly (quoc hoi) with 493 members that are elected every fifth year. The national assembly elects the president, who in turn, elects the ministers including the prime minister. The national assembly is nominally influential with the possibility to criticize as well as dismiss ministers. However, political influence remains primarily with the general secretary, the president and the prime minister.
In 2019, Nguyen Phu Trong served as the General Secretary as well as President, whilst Nguyen Xuan Phuc served as Prime Minister.
The Vietnamese army has a history of a political role, a role that remains important in Vietnamese politics. To a large extent, the army was created by the party and during the initial years of existence, party leaders were also the army leaders. Due to this coalescing, rifts between the army and party have not been noticeable. Over time, the army has been reduced to half its size. Despite its numerical cut, the Army remains important in the political life as well as in the economic sector with its ownership of numerous companies. In 2019, the Government of Vietnam had 482 000 active armed troops. Its military forces comprised an army, navy, air force, border force and coast guard.
During its intrastate conflict with China, the Government of Vietnam received substantial military aid in the form of weaponry, material, training, logistical support as well as direct financing from the Soviet Union. This support was motivated by the wider regional dynamics and Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, which had closer relations to China.
