The National Election Council has approved the city’s proposal to hold early voting ahead of the 2026 National Assembly and People’s Council elections. The polling is set to begin on February 26  - 17 days before the official nationwide date of March 15.

According to HCMC’s Election Committee, early voting will be organized at four locations in Phuoc Thang Ward, Tam Thang Ward, and Long Son Commune. These polling stations cover voters currently deployed on oil rigs, DK1 platforms, patrol vessels, and other long-term maritime operations.

Four key offshore voting areas

Phuoc Thang Ward will host two polling stations. The first serves 383 voters, mostly officers and sailors from Navy Brigades 128 and 129, with voting taking place at the Brigade 129 headquarters. The second serves 945 voters from Coast Guard Region 3, Fisheries Surveillance Team No. 2, and a local militia unit, with the polling site at the Fisheries Surveillance headquarters.

In Long Son Commune, 450 voters from DK1 Battalion, Navy Brigade 125, and Navy Region 2 Command will vote at the Navy Region 2 Command headquarters.

Tam Thang Ward will accommodate the largest group  - around 2,760 workers from the Vietnam–Russia oil and gas joint venture, Vietsovpetro. These voters will cast ballots at an onshore station near Vung Tau Airport.

Due to the nature of their duties  - including extended periods at sea  - these voters cannot return to land in time for the nationwide election. Early polling is seen as a necessary measure to guarantee both civic rights and operational continuity in defending maritime sovereignty and supporting Vietnam’s offshore economy.

Ballot delivery by air and sea

HCMC has outlined two logistics strategies for transporting ballot boxes. For Vietsovpetro’s offshore oil platforms, helicopters from Vung Tau Airport will carry election teams and ballot boxes directly to the rigs for on-site voting.

For naval units such as Navy Region 2 Command, Coast Guard Region 3, and DK1 Battalion, two specialized ships will be used to bring ballot teams to offshore platforms, patrol vessels, and other maritime posts.

Onshore voting will take place before personnel board ships or helicopters for their missions.

In the event of adverse weather that prevents timely return of ballot boxes by March 15, the city will invoke procedures outlined in Ministry of Home Affairs Circular No. 21. Under this contingency plan, backup ballot boxes may be counted immediately at sea. Results will then be reported via telecommunication, with physical ballot boxes and documents returned to shore once safe conditions allow  - all in compliance with regulations.

Quoc Ngoc