"Millions of Vietnamese citizens across 34 provinces and major cities headed to polling stations on Sunday amid a 99 per cent turnout at nationwide elections for the 16th National Assembly. Footage shows voters casting ballots across Ho Chi Minh City, including at the Buddhist Quang Duc Monastery and the Ha Chuong Assembly Hall, a traditional community venue for ethnic Hoa residents. "Today I feel excited to hold this ballot and vote seriously for someone who truly cares about and supports the people," said a Hoa resident. Voters were selecting 500 members for the country's highest legislative body,  the National Assembly, out of the 864 parliamentary candidates for the upcoming five-year term. Nearly 93 per cent of the 864 parliamentary candidates are Communist Party members, while independents make up 7.5 per cent, down from 8.5 per cent in 2021. The party currently holds 97 per cent of the seats. "We want to choose someone who represents national unity, regardless of religion, whether they're Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, or from any other faith," added another resident. At the National Assembly's Digital Operations Centre, officials closely monitored real-time voting data, with voter turnout displayed in various colours on the map - green indicating completed voting units. "This visual display clearly reflects the effectiveness of our digital transformation efforts, which have produced very positive results," Vice Chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Nguyen Thu Thanh, commented. The national election results are expected to be announced on March 23. This year's vote carried added significance as it coincided with the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's first general election."