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| The campus of National Economics University decorated with flags and banners for the election. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Phú |
HÀ NỘI — As election day for voters to choose National Assembly (NA) deputies for the 16th term and People's Council deputies for the 2026-2031 term approaches, universities across Hà Nội have organised polling for student voters.
The National Economics University (NEU) views the establishment of a polling station for students not only as fulfilling an important political duty but also as a way to raise civic awareness.
Earlier this month, NEU established an election committee, developed a detailed plan and worked closely with local authorities to prepare for election day.
The university's Polling Station 19 will see more than 1,800 student voters cast their ballots.
Associate Professor Bùi Huy Nhượng, NEU director and head of the Polling Station 19 Committee, said that the university is responsible for hosting the polling place.
This station differs from many others, as its voters are students.
The university has coordinated with the Bạch Mai Ward People's Committee to prepare for the election, including by selecting experienced lecturers to participate in the preparations.
The voting site and banners for election communications have already been completed.
According to Nhượng, particular efforts have been made for first-time student voters. The university has actively helped them understand their rights and duties as citizens through official channels and the university's social media, dormitories, the Youth Union, Student Association and internal information systems.
Students have been educated on their voting rights, procedures and principles for participating in elections.
"We make contact with the ward People's Committee to exchange information daily and clarify any issues that arise. With this seamless coordination, I am confident the election will proceed smoothly," Nhượng said.
As a unit with a large number of student voters, Polling Station 20 is located in the dormitory area of Hà Nội University of Science and Technology (HUST).
This polling station has a large number of voters, including over 3,000 students.
Associate Professor Trần Ngọc Khiêm, deputy director of HUST and head of the Polling Station 20 Committee, said: “Most students are young voters, and many are participating for the first time, so the university has deployed communications through multiple channels.”
Through the Student Affairs Board, the university has spread information on regulations, rights and duties of voters to students. The university's Youth Union has also intensified education via the school's communication system, helping students understand the significance of election day and their responsibilities when voting.
In the dormitory area, managers and student management staff regularly inform students about the election date and polling location.
Voter lists, candidate lists and brief profiles of each candidate have been publicly posted near the polling station for students to easily access before voting.
Khiêm noted that the committee has assigned specific tasks to each of its 17 members, while coordinating with dormitory managers to notify students about election times and locations.
With more than 3,000 voters, organising polling at the dormitory is convenient and not as pressured as it is in densely populated residential areas, allowing students to flexibly arrange their time to vote.
Use of technology
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| Students at Hà Nội University of Science and Technology search for candidates’ information on the VNeID app. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Phú |
One major innovation in this election is the use of information technology (IT).
Nhượng said that NEU has applied IT widely. The university has sent candidate information to student voters' emails for easy research and selection of worthy and capable individuals for the NA and local People's Councils.
"We reviewed the student voter list to avoid cases where voters participate both in their hometowns and in their dormitories, which are their temporary residences. Students use the VNeID app (Việt Nam’s national digital identification application) to select one location, avoiding confusion. Vote counting is performed via software," said Nhượng.
As a technology university with leading IT experts, HUST has also made use of its technological capabilities in election work.
According to Khiêm, the university has used technology to detail assignments for polling committee members, establish support teams and ensure smooth elections.
“Leveraging top IT experts, we implemented technology early on, saving time and costs while delivering information quickly to voters,” he said.
At universities with large numbers of students, such as Việt Nam National University Hà Nội, election assignments were clarified early in the process.
Nguyễn Đại Thắng, head of the university's Mễ Trì Dormitory Management Board, said that the polling committee assigned staff to directly manage elections at the polling station each day.
The committee decorated the polling site with educational banners and posters, held meetings to guide polling committee procedures, instruct voting and vote-counting processes and assign specific tasks to members, and convened security teams to reinforce patrolling and control.
Election guidelines are regularly posted to the Facebook page as well.
"We are issuing voter cards, and will complete this task before Thursday. We are also reminding voters to uphold their civic responsibility by voting on schedule," said Thắng.
At the Mễ Trì Dormitory polling station, 1,150 resident student voters are on the list to participate as of 2pm on Tuesday.
"Students are seeking information and registering to vote with the dormitory management staff. Additions or withdrawals are updated daily. Student organisation members have registered to support and will volunteer on Saturday and Sunday," Thắng noted.
With thorough preparations and responsibility placed on them from higher education institutions, the volunteers will contribute significantly to election day, filled with faith and high expectations.
Each ballot from students is not just a personal choice, but also embodies the younger generation's trust in the nation's future development. — VNS