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Although the allocated budget for the 2026 election is reportedly 2,700 billion đồng (approximately $108 million USD)—an increase of roughly 1,000 billion đồng, or 57%, from the previous term—there is insufficient basis to confirm the accuracy of this figure.

This 2,700 billion đồng estimate does not appear in the National Assembly’s resolution regarding the 2026 budget, nor has it been widely reported by state media. It surfaced solely in a draft submission presented by the Ministry of Finance in July 2025. [1]

Furthermore, Resolution No. 246/2025/QH15 , issued in November 2025 for the allocation of the 2026 central budget, lacks a dedicated line item for elections. Instead, election costs are consolidated with various other expenditures into a broader category exceeding 9,200 billion đồng (approximately $368 million USD). [2]

The 2,700 billion đồng figure was contextualized in the Ministry of Finance’s submission as follows:

“[…] in an urgent timeframe, when detailed budget estimates from central and local agencies were not yet available, corresponding to proposed spending items, the Office of the National Election Council estimated that central budget funding for the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term would be 2,700 billion đồng, an increase of 1,000 billion đồng, or 57 percent compared to the previous term (equivalent to the increase in the base salary since 2020).”

Thus, the Ministry of Finance merely cited a projection from the Office of the National Election Council. Four months subsequent to this draft, the National Assembly passed the central budget resolution without outlining the exact election budget.

With the Election Council remaining silent on the matter, it is currently impossible to determine the definitive amount approved by the National Assembly for the election.

For reference, the budgets for the two previous elections were 1,707.822 billion đồng (about $68 million USD) in 2021 and 1,444 billion đồng (about $58 million) in 2016. [3]

Beyond these aggregate numbers, however, the public knows little else.

A Lack of Transparency

While a nationwide election occurring every five years involves detailed planning and careful preparation at every stage, this rigorous approach does not extend to the transparency of specific expenditures.

Even if the reported 2,700 billion đồng (about $108 million) allocated for the election is accurate, the distribution of these funds remains entirely unclear. There is no public breakdown showing how much is distributed to central agencies, how much goes to each locality, or how the budget is divided across various electoral components.

This opacity persists despite the Ministry of Finance issuing Circular No. 87/2025 , which provides detailed guidance on spending categories and unit costs for election-related activities. [4]

Typically, election funding information is presented merely as a combined total for both the National Assembly and People’s Council elections. The Ministry of Finance has never released a supplementary report that clearly itemizes expenditures by category.

Even Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City , the country’s two largest municipalities, have not disclosed their specific local election budgets. [5] [6] In contrast, a handful of localities like Quảng Ngãi province have published appendices detailing projected expenses for items such as ballot boxes, public notice boards, seal engraving, and allowances. [7]

However, each locality produces its own report, resulting in the dispersion of these scattered breakdowns across various local government portals. The central government has yet to consolidate this information into a standardized, publicly accessible dataset.

A Streamlined Approach to Budgeting

The Ministry of Finance’s July 11, 2025 submission to the National Assembly acknowledged a lack of detailed budget estimates from central and local authorities regarding election funding. Consequently, the Ministry put forward its proposed figure “within an urgent timeframe.” [8]

Furthermore, the Ministry noted that developing the election budget proposal required a streamlined procedure because of this “urgent” nature, undergoing only two rounds of consultation with selected agencies and organizations.

This hurried approach to proposing election budgets shortly before citizens head to the polls is not unprecedented for the Ministry of Finance. Such a pattern has been observed in previous election cycles. [9]

While the election budget proposed for each successive term has consistently increased—often by a substantial margin—no clear explanation has ever been provided to justify these escalating costs.