National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and delegates tour the Vietnam National Assembly Museum (Photo: VNA)
An exhibition titled “National Assembly of Vietnam’s 80 years of accompanying the nation” will open at the National Assembly headquarters in Hanoi on January 6 as part of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the first nationwide general election (January 6, 1946 – 2026).
According to the Vietnam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the exhibition is jointly organised by the ministry, the National Assembly Office, and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
On January 6, 1946, responding to President Ho Chi Minh’s appeal, Vietnamese citizens aged 18 and above across the country, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or social background, enthusiastically took part in the first general election to choose deputies to the National Assembly. The success of the election marked a historic milestone, ushering in a new era for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Over the past 80 years, the National Assembly has remained closely connected with the people, accompanying the nation through different revolutionary stages. Across historical periods, it has been continuously consolidated and renewed in terms of organisation and operation, fulfilling its role as the constitutional and legislative body, deciding major national issues and exercising supreme oversight over state activities, thereby making significant contributions to national construction, defence and development.
The exhibition vividly retraces the 80-year formation and development of the National Assembly through a rich collection of images, documents and artefacts arranged chronologically, from the Tan Trao National Congress – the forerunner of the National Assembly – to the present-day legislature.
Each National Assembly term represents an important milestone associated with foundational laws and historic decisions, from the resistance period under the spirit of “the nation above all else” to the periods of peace, national reunification, renewal and international integration.
The exhibition highlights the Assembly’s comprehensive development towards greater professionalism, democracy, transparency and effectiveness, reaffirming its central role in the political system and as a vital bridge between the Party, the State and the people.
Through the exhibition, organisers aim to foster patriotism, inspire national pride and strengthen public confidence in the country’s development path under the Party’s leadership. It also seeks to raise awareness among voters and the public, especially younger generations, of the National Assembly’s mission as the highest organ of state power and the highest representative body of the people, while honouring historical values and looking ahead to building a more modern, effective and efficient National Assembly that meets public expectations and the country’s development requirements in the new era./.