President To Lam becomes Vietnam’s Party General Secretary

Vietnam’s Party General Secretary, President To Lam. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Speaking after taking office, General Secretary To Lam affirmed to inherit and promote the revolutionary achievements that late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and previous generations of leaders had built.

He pledged to maintain solidarity, unity and together with the Party Central Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat, “be determined to lead and direct the entire Party, the people, and the army to successfully implement the goals and tasks set by the 13th National Party Congress, successfully organize the 14th Congress, and keep the country firmly develop in the new period.”

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (3rd, L), Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Luong Cuong (R), and National Assembly chairman Tran Thanh Man (L) congratulate Party General Secretary, President To Lam (2nd, L) after the election, Aug. 3, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Phong

Earlier, the Politburo had assigned President To Lam to manage the workload of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat.General To Lam, then Minister of Public Security, was elected state president for the 2021-2026 term by the National Assembly on May 22.

As president, he made his first foreign trip to Laos and Cambodia last month, emphasizing the “highest priority” in relations with the two neighbors.

He also presided over the state-level welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Presidential Palace in June, with 21 gun salutes. The two presidents held talks and witnessed the signing of 11 documents, including a plan to implement a project to build a nuclear science and technology research center in Vietnam.

To Lam, 67, is from Van Giang District of the northern Hung Yen Province. He is a law professor with a PhD degree.

He is a member of the Party Central Committee for the 11th, 12th, and 13th terms (from January 2011 until now); a member of the Politburo for the 12th and 13th terms (from January 2016 until now); and a National Assembly delegate for the 14th and 15th tenures.

He began his career in 1979 at the Directorate for Political Protection I of the General Department of Security under the Ministry of Public Security, then serving as its deputy director and director.

In 2010, he was appointed to be the General Director of the General Department of Security 1.

He became Deputy Minister of Public Security in August 2010, and Minister of Public Security in April 2016.

In early 2019, To Lam was promoted by General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong to the rank of general, becoming the fourth person in the history of Vietnamese People’s Public Security to hold the highest military rank.

He left the minister post to become president on May 22.

The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam is the highest position in the Party. The Party Central Committee is authorized to elect the Politburo and the General Secretary from among the Politburo members.

According to the Politburo’s regulation 214, the General Secretary must fully ensure the general standards of members of the Politburo and the Secretariat, and need to have the following qualities and abilities: Having high reputation in the Central Committee and the Politburo, throughout the Party and the people; is the center of solidarity to gather and promote the combined strength of the entire political system, the Party, the people and the strength of the era to successfully carry out the two strategic tasks of building and protecting the Fatherland, with the goal of building a strong, democratic, fair and civilized country and making its people rich.

The General Secretary must have experienced and successfully completed tasks as secretary of the provincial or city party committee or head of a central department, ministry or branch; having joined the Politburo for a full term or more. Special cases are decided by the Party Central Committee.