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Vietnam Fatherland Front Mặt trận Tổ quốc Việt Nam | |
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| Abbreviation | VFF MTTQVN |
| Chairman | Đỗ Văn Chiến |
| Secretary-General | Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà |
| Founded | February 1977 |
| Merger of |  (North) Vietnam Fatherland Front National Liberation Front of South Vietnam Alliance of National Democratic and Peaceful Forces of Vietnam |
| Preceded by |  League for Independence of Vietnam |
| Headquarters | Hanoi |
| Ideology | Communism Marxism–Leninism Ho Chi Minh Thought Vietnamese nationalism |
| National Assembly | 479 / 500 |
| Website | |
| http://mattran.org.vn/ | |
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 Politics portal |
The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF, alternatively Vietnamese Fatherland Front; Vietnamese: Mặt trận Tổ quốc Việt Nam) is an umbrella group of mass movements in Vietnam aligned with the Communist Party of Vietnam that absolutely dominating the National Assembly of Vietnam forming the Vietnamese Government and all recognized national socio-political organizations. It was founded in February 1977 by the merger of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of North Vietnam and two Viet Cong formal groups, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peace Forces, and is considered as the modern incarnation of the League for the Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh). It is an amalgamation of many smaller groups, including the Communist Party itself. Other groups that participated in the establishment of the Front were the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (a.k.a. the Ho Chi Minh Youth) and the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization. It also included the Democratic Party of Vietnam and Socialist Party of Vietnam, until they disbanded in 1988.[1] It also incorporates some officially sanctioned religious groups, such as the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha as well as other major organizations overseeing Buddhism, Caodaism, Hòa Hảo, Islam, Christianity and their major branches such as Protestantism and SDA in the country.[citation needed]
The Front is described by the Vietnamese government as "the political base of people's power." It is intended to have a significant role in society, promoting "national solidarity" and "unity of mind in political and spiritual matters." In practice, the members of the Front, like their counterparts in other Communist states, are largely subservient to the Communist Party, and must accept the party's "leading role" as a condition of their existence.[citation needed]
Many of the government's social programs are conducted through the Front. Recently, it has been given a role in programs to reduce poverty. The Front is also responsible for much of the government's policy on religion: "1. Everyone has freedom of beliefs and religions, he or she has the right to follow a religion or not to follow any religion. All religions are equal before the law. 2. The state respects and protects freedom of beliefs and religions. 3. No one should violate freedom of beliefs and religions or take advantage of beliefs and religions to infringe the law."[2][3]
Perhaps more importantly, the Front is intended to supervise the activity of the government and of government organisations. Because the Front's power base is mass participation and popular mobilisation, it is seen as representative of the people, and both Vietnam's constitution and laws give it a special role. The Front has a particularly significant role in elections. Specifically, endorsement by the Front is generally required (in practice, if not in theory[citation needed]) to be a candidate for election. Almost all candidates are nominated by (and members of) the Front, with only a few "self-nominated" candidates avoiding the Front's veto. The Front's role in electoral nominations is mandated by law.[citation needed]
- ^ Van, Dang. "The Rebirth of the Democratic Party of Vietnam and a basic principle of constitutionalism". newsgroups.derkeiler.com. derkeiler. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ Dr Le Ba Trinh. "Vice President of Central Committee's Fatherland Front of Vietnam" (PDF). International Center for Law and Religion Studies. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ Article 24. Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 2013. Hanoi: National Politics – Truth. 2014. pp. 17–18.