General To Lam elected new State President of Vietnam

General To Lam, Minister of Public Security, was elected new State President of Vietnam in the 2021-2026 tenure, at the ongoing seventh session of the National Assembly in Hanoi on May 22.

Lam won support from 472 out of 473 deputies present at the plenary session of the National Assembly.

General To Lam takes the oath of office in Hanoi on May 22

In the swearing-in ceremony, the new president vowed to be absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, to the people, and to the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, striving to successfully complete the tasks assigned by the Party, State and people.

He thanked the National Assembly deputies for trusting and electing him president of Vietnam, saying “this is a great honour but also a great responsibility”. He also thanked the Party Central Committee, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other senior Party and State leaders for nominating him for the presidency.

He pledged to actively carry out the country’s domestic-foreign affairs, defense-security tasks, and to successfully implement all Party guidelines and State policies, alongside the entire Party, army, organisations in the political system and people.

According to the Constitution, the President is the head of State, representing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in domestic and foreign affairs.

The President is also the leader of the people’s armed forces and holds the position of Chairman of the National Defense and Security Council.

General Lam will take up office to succeed Vo Van Thuong who stepped down in March 2024.

Earlier, the recent ninth plenum of the Party Central Committee agreed to introduce General To Lam, a Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, to the presidential post.

General Lam was born in 1957 from northern Hung Yen province. He is a professor and doctor of law.  

He is a member of the Political Bureau (tenures XII and XIII), a member of the Party Central Committee (tenures XI, XII, XIII), and a deputy to the National Assembly (tenures XIV and XV).

He is also deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Corruption and Negative Phenomena, a member of the National Defense and Security Council, and a member of the Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform.

General Lam has held the post of Minister of Public Security since April 2016.

VNA