| Vietnam Fatherland Front | |
| Native Name: | Mặt trận Tổ quốc Việt Nam |
| Native Name Lang: | vi |
| Abbreviation: | VFF MTTQVN |
| Chairman: | Đỗ Văn Chiến |
| Secretary General: | Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà |
| Ideology: | Communism Marxism–Leninism Ho Chi Minh Thought Vietnamese nationalism |
| Merger: | (North) Vietnam Fatherland Front National Liberation Front of South Vietnam Alliance of National Democratic and Peaceful Forces of Vietnam |
| Predecessor: | League for Independence of Vietnam |
| Headquarters: | Hanoi |
| Seats1 Title: | National Assembly |
| Website: | http://mattran.org.vn/ |
| Country: | Vietnam |
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 forming the Vietnamese government. It was founded in February 1977 by the merger of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of North Vietnam and two Viet Cong groups, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peace Forces. 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 (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.
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.
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) 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.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Role in government | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 421 | 1st | |||||
| 1964 | 8,580,002 | 100% | 55 | 1st | |||
| 1971 | 54 | 1st | |||||
| 1975 | 10,561,314 | 100% | 4 | 1st | |||
| 1976 | 22,895,611 | 100% | 68 | 1st | |||
| 1981 | 100% | 4 | 1st | ||||
| 1987 | 100% | 1st | |||||
| 1992 | 37,195,592 | 100% | 101 | 1st | |||
| 1997 | 43,185,756 | 100% | 55 | 1st | |||
| 2002 | 49,211,275 | 100% | 48 | 1st | |||
| 2007 | 100% | 5 | 1st | ||||
| 2011 | 61,965,651 | 100% | 7 | 1st | |||
| 2016 | 67,049,091 | 100% | 6 | 1st | |||
| 2021 | 69,243,604 | 100% | 5 | 1st |