Vietnam ranks 54th in terms of female presence in parliament Women take 24.2 percent of the seats in Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) in the 13th tenure (2011 – 2016), ranking the country 54th among the 190 surveyed nations and fourth among the 10 ASEAN member states, data of the Inter-Parliamentary Union show.   Female parliamentarians pose for a photo on the sidelines of the 13th NA's 6th session Although the rate of female parliamentarians has increased over the last tenures, it is not sustainable. Meanwhile, the number of female People’s Council deputies at different levels has risen by just about two percent recently. To promote communications that advocate for women’s engagement in the NA and all-level People’s Councils, a training course was opened in Ho Chi Minh City on April 19. It was attended by reporters and editors from southern press outlets and managerial agencies. Bui Ba Binh, a senior advisor at ActionAid organisation, said communications play an important role in enhancing women’s political participation. Reporters, editors and media workers will help effectively disseminate related policies and introduce female candidates to local residents. Pham Ngoc Tien, an official from the National Committee for the Advancement of Women in Vietnam, said gender equality in politics is critical to giving women a chance to raise their voice, bring into play their capability, and make decisions in different areas. That will create a solid foundation for fostering gender equality in all social aspects. Despite challenges, Vietnam has made progress in raising gender equality in politics. Women’s presence in the Party Committees from grassroots to central levels for the 2015 – 2020 term is higher than the previous tenure. The country, for the first time, has a NA Chairwoman and three women in the Politburo. Fifteen of the 30 ministries and equivalent agencies have their key officials being women. While the Ministry of Public Security sees three women promoted to the rank of Major General, the Ministry of National Defence also has one female Lieutenant General and two female Major Generals. VNA