Foreign newspapers have published many interesting articles and pictures of the National Assembly and People’s Council elections in Vietnam in recent days.

“When Nguyen Quang Huan, a 47-year-old Hanoi businessman, told friends he wanted to stand for Vietnam’s Communist party dominated parliament, they told him he was crazy,” the Financial Times opened its article about the National Assembly election in Vietnam on May 22.

“Despite his friends’ misgivings, he decided to nominate himself, emboldened by the unprecedented level of independence shown by the national assembly during its last four-year term, when deputies rejected government proposals, grilled ministers in hearings and even called for a vote of confidence in the prime minister,” the world’s leading financial newspaper continued.

According to Financial Times, Mr Huan is one of more than a dozen business people standing for election to the national assembly on Sunday, including one of Vietnam’s richest men, Dang Thanh Tam, and his sister, Dang Thi Hoang Yen, also a wealthy business owner.

“There are tentative signs that the Vietnamese leadership is starting to reach out to the business community amid efforts to stabilize the fast-expanding but unbalanced economy,” the UK newspaper commented.

It cited a western diplomat who has worked closely with the assembly: “Even if Vietnam does not acknowledge the separation of powers, the national assembly has become more of a proper legislative body and that has led to better laws, better allocation of resources and more checks and balances”.

The French news agency AFP told the news about the election on three consecutive days. It wrote that the political system in Vietnam confirms the leadership of the Communist but since the last tenure, candidates have been allowed to self run for the National Assembly election and nearly 10 percent of the National Assembly are non-Communist Party members.

The US’ Bloomberg newswire also paid attention to this aspect. It wrote that of 827 candidates of the National Assembly election, many of them are non-Party members and self-running candidates. This financial and economic newswire is also very interested in candidate Dang Thanh Tam, Vietnam’s richest man and Chairman of the Kinh Bac Development Group.

“The National Assembly does have more of a role than it used to, and you get a certain amount of frank discussion there,” said Raymond Burghardt, a former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam and now director of seminars at the East-West Center in Honolulu on Bloomberg.

Vietnam’s political stability is a result of rising wealth, employment prospects and increasing economic openness, according to Moody’s.

John Hendra, outgoing United Nations chief in Vietnam, said the assembly has played more of a role in ensuring government accountability. It has also begun an “extremely important” trial of public hearings on draft laws.

“I think in the last two years we’ve seen a National Assembly that’s become much more assertive,” said Hendra o AFP.

Other foreign news agencies like DPA (Germany), AP, Asia News, Strait Times, Xinhua News and BBC also wrote about the election.

Vietnam’s National Assembly through foreign lens:

Party Secretary General, Nguyen Phu Trong talked to the press after

casting his vote in Hanoi. Photo Getty Images.

President, Nguyen Minh Triet balloted in HCM City. Photo Xinhua

Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung voted in Hai Phong city. Photo Xinhua

Constituents read biographies of candidates at a polling station in Hanoi.

Photo Getty Images.

Ethnic minority people cast their votes. Photo by Xinhua.

Constituents read biographies of candidates. Photo by Reuters.

Election day by Reuters.

A small truck with banners and loud-speakers to campaign for

the election on Hanoi street. Photo Getty Images.

Dong Ngac village, Hanoi. Photo Reuters.

Thai An