Over 50 million people in Vietnam are selecting Sunday 500 deputies of the National Assembly (NA), the country's top legislature, from 875 candidates.

General secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh cast his ballot Sunday morning at a polling station in Phan Dinh Phung street.

"Many candidates are both talented and virtuous. I hope that new legislators will do their best to make our people happy, and our country thriving," Pham Thi Hong, a 99-year-old voter in Hanoi capital, told reporters after casting her ballot in the street.

Of the candidates, 290 are women, 726 are members of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and 230 aged under 41, according to the Central Election Council. The youngest candidate is a 24-year- old woman, and the eldest is an 80-year-old Buddhist monk.

In Hanoi, over 2.3 million voters are electing 21 lawmakers from 37 candidates, of whom six are self-nominated. In southern Ho Chi Minh City, more than 4.2 million voters are selecting 26 legislators from 43 candidates, of whom seven are self-nominated.

The upcoming 12th NA is expected to vote for its new chairperson, state president and prime minister in July, local media reported recently.

At the first session of the 12th NA scheduled to start on July 19, the legislature will also elect its vice chairpersons, vice state president, and heads of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuracy.

It will approve prime minister's proposal on appointing deputy prime ministers, ministers and other cabinet members.

Vietnam elected the top posts, including NA chairman, state president and prime minister, in June 2006, about one year earlier than usual, mainly to serve the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit last November. Therefore, the 12th NA is expected to re-elect the posts.

Vietnam has a total population of some 84 million.

Source: Xinhua