Vietnam :: Government
(59 provinces and 5 municipalities)
Official name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Capital city: Hanoi
Year of independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Head of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006)
Type of government: socialist republic with a constitution
Legislature: unicameral (one house) National Assembly (consisting of 500 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
The National Assembly elects the president (from among the its members) who appoints the prime minister who then appoints the deputy prime ministers. Appointment of prime minister and deputy prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly.
National flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
star's five points = farmers, workers, intellectuals, youth and soldiers of Vietnam
red = revolution + Vietnamese struggle for independence