Residents of La Nga River floating village ready for election day

A distinctive feature of Polling Station No. 1 in hamlet 1, La Nga commune, Dong Nai province, is that besides voters living on land, it also welcomes residents of the La Nga River floating village to come ashore to cast their ballots to elect deputies to the 16th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term on March 15, 2026.

Nguyen Thi Thu Suong (living in the floating village in hamlet 1, La Nga commune) shows her voter card and those of other family members before voting for deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term like other Vietnamese citizens on March 15. Photo: Van Truyen

According to Ha Thi Thanh Lan, Secretary of the Party Cell of hamlet 1 and Head of the Polling Team No. 1, La Nga commune, the number of voters participating in the election at Polling Station No. 1 is 2,479. 10% of them are from ethnic minority groups of Tay, Hoa, Nung, Choro, and Muong. Hamlet 1 is where households living in the La Nga River floating village are concentrated. Therefore, during the election communication process, the hamlet and commune organized teams and arranged water transport means to go to each floating house to deliver information to residents.

By the afternoon of March 14, the authorities of La Nga commune, together with the hamlet 1 administration, were still arranging water transport means to reach families living in the floating village to carry out communication and remind them about the time to vote. Photo: Van Truyen

Ngo Van Noi (a fisherman living in the La Nga floating village) said his four-member family had been issued voter cards. During the election communication campaign, the hamlet and commune reminded his family of the date, time, and location for voting. When meetings between candidates and voters were held, they tried to arrange for a family representative to attend.

Dang Thi Lien, Head of the Fatherland Front Working Committee of hamlet 1, La Nga commun, personally visits a household living in the floating village in Hamlet 1 to remind them about the date and time to vote. Photo: Van Truyen

 According to Dang Thi Lien, Head of the Fatherland Front Working Committee of Hamlet 1, La Nga Commune, most families living in the floating village in hamlet 1 are Vietnamese who migrated back from Cambodia. During the election communication process, the hamlet officials briefly read basic information to residents about election day, the polling locations, and how to correctly mark ballots, since many people are illiterate or not yet fluent in Vietnamese, having only recently settled in the hamlet. By the afternoon of March 14, hamlet officials continued to arrange boats to visit each household, reminding residents to vote early the next day and checking the voter cards previously issued. Up to now, everything has been in order, and residents said that after returning from their late-night fishing trips, they would make time to go to the polling station for the opening at 6:30 a.m.

Residents of hamlet 1, La Nga commune, review the list and biographies of candidates on the afternoon of March 14. Photo: Van Truyen

Nguyen Thi Thu Suong said that after returning to Vietnam from Cambodia, she and her family settled in the floating village in hamlet 1. On March 15, she and her neighbors will come ashore to cast their ballots for deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term, just like other Vietnamese citizens. For her and her family, this carries great significance, as it allows them to exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens of Vietnam.

Polling Station No. 1 (hamlet 1, La Nga commune, Dong Nai province) is located less than 1 km from the bank of the La Nga River. Photo: Van Truyen

By Van Truyen - Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha