VOTERS in Vietnam cast their ballots to select a new National Assembly today, two months after the country’s Communist Party re-elected To Lam to the top political post.

Nearly 79 million voters across the country are eligible to pick 500 representatives from 864 candidates to the National Assembly.

The election follows the Communist Party’s national congress in January, a political event held every five years that sets the country’s leadership lineup and policy priorities.

At the congress, Mr Lam was re-elected as general secretary, the most powerful position in the political system.

“We have the people’s support in this election,” Mr Lam said after casting his ballot in Hanoi, describing the vote as a national celebration where citizens choose representatives to guide development and safeguard the country’s sovereignty and stability.

Vietnam’s economy has expanded rapidly over the past decade, driven by manufacturing exports, foreign investment and its growing role in global supply chains.

The country has positioned itself as an alternative production hub as companies diversify away from China, attracting major electronics and textile manufacturers.

It has now set an ambitious target of 10 per cent or higher annual economic growth over the next five years, placing the private sector at the centre of its development strategy in a notable shift for the communist state.

Policymakers are now recalibrating the country’s economy to push it toward higher-value industries, modernised production and wider use of science, technology and digital tools.