Despite its rapid move towards a free-market economy, Vietnam remains a socialist country with a single political party, the Communist Party. Approximately 90% of the National Assembly’s members, represents the Communist Party and the rest are being encouraged to join.

In April 1992, an almost entirely re-written constitution was adopted. The preamble still speaks of the Communist Party’s leadership, but the overall intention seems to be to provide a greater separation of party and State institutions and give more power to the latter.