Vietnam’s National Assembly on Tuesday unanimously elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as the country’s president for the next five years.This marks Lam’s second term as president, following a brief tenure in 2024. He will serve as president for the 2026–2031 term while continuing to hold the position of general secretary.
Lam took the oath of office at the National Assembly after his election.He previously held both roles in 2024, becoming general secretary three months after assuming the presidency. Before that, he served as Minister of Public Security in 2016 and was promoted to the rank of general in 2019.Lam assumed party leadership after the death of Nguyen Phu Trong and was formally elected as general secretary in August 2024.The 69-year-old leader has an extensive political career, having served four consecutive terms on the Party Central Committee, three terms as a Politburo member, and three terms as a National Assembly deputy. He hails from the northern Hung Yen Province.
During his 18 months as party chief, Lam has overseen key policy decisions by the Central Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat aimed at accelerating Vietnam’s development.His long-term vision includes two major goals: transforming Vietnam into an upper-middle-income country with a modern industrial base by 2030, and achieving high-income developed nation status by 2045.He has also introduced major administrative reforms, including streamlining government institutions and reducing the number of provinces and cities, while promoting expanded international partnerships under Vietnam’s foreign policy.
