Vietnam elected Communist Party chief To Lam as President

Lawmakers in Vietnam unanimously elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as the country’s President for the next five years on 07 April, 2026. With this, he has become the most powerful leader in Vietnam in decades.

The parliament stated on its website that all 495 lawmakers present at the National Assembly session supported the Communist Party’s nomination, while 05 lawmakers were absent. Officials said that nominations for the country’s top leadership positions were finalized at a meeting held at the end of March.

To Lam’s election as President signals a shift in Vietnam’s power structure, where traditionally the positions of Party Secretary and President have been held by different individuals.

This much-anticipated move marks a major change in Vietnam’s traditional collective leadership system. Under this, power has become concentrated in the hands of a single individual.

Analysts say that this may push the one-party system further towards authoritarianism, but it may also speed up decision-making, as seen in neighboring China.

The former head of the Ministry of Public Security now holds dual responsibility to govern the country for the next five years, as he had already secured his second term as General Secretary in January.

After the death of the party’s late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2024, Lam had held both positions for a few months.

Le Minh Hung: Vietnam elected Prime Minister

Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) passed a resolution electing Le Minh Hung as the Prime Minister of Vietnam for the 2026–2031 term.

This resolution received support from all 495 out of 495 lawmakers present in the first session of the 16th National Assembly.

The newly elected Prime Minister Hung (55) served as the Governor of the central bank from 2016 to 2020 and became the youngest person to hold that position.

He replaced Pham Minh Chinh (67), who led a rapidly growing economy during his five-year tenure and became one of the most recognized leaders of Vietnam both domestically and internationally due to frequent foreign visits and participation in international summits.

Vietnam country

Vietnam is a country located on the eastern edge of Southeast Asia. One of the two communist states in Southeast Asia, Vietnam shares its borders with China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west.

It lies along the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest and the South China Sea to the east, where it has shared and disputed maritime boundaries with other countries. Its capital is Hanoi, while its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City.

In the mid-20th century, Vietnam experienced a long period of war and division (1954–75); first militarily and then politically, it was divided into the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam).

After reunification in April 1975, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was established in July 1976.

Vietnam and USA war

The Vietnam War (1955–1975) was a devastating conflict fought during the Cold War between US-backed South Vietnam and Soviet/China-backed communist North Vietnam.

After the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, direct involvement of US forces increased. At its peak in April 1969, about 543,000 US troops were deployed in Vietnam.

The US entered the war to contain communism, but after heavy bombing (7.6 million tons) and the loss of 58,000 American soldiers, it withdrew in 1973. Vietnam was unified in 1975 with the victory of the North.