Vietnam's ruling party leader To Lam elected state president

Vietnam's lawmakers unanimously elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as the country’s state president on Tuesday for the next five years.

Lam’s election marks his second term after a short-lived tenure in 2024, according to local outlet VnExpress.

He is mandated to serve as president for the 2026-2031 term while continuing as general secretary.

Lam took the oath of office at the National Assembly.

On Tuesday, former central bank governor Le Minh Hung was also elected prime minister for the next five years.

Lam previously also held both roles in 2024, becoming general secretary three months after assuming the presidency. Before that, he served as public security minister in 2016 and was promoted to the rank of a general in 2019.

He took over the party after the death of Nguyen Phu Trong and was formally elected party chief in August 2024.

The 69-year-old has 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 northern Hung Yen Province.

Lam has overseen major policy decisions by the Central Committee, Politburo and Secretariat aimed at accelerating Vietnam’s development during his 18 months as party chief.

The goals include two long-term targets: becoming an upper-middle-income country with a modern industry by 2030 and a high-income developed country by 2045.

He has also implemented sweeping administrative reforms, such as streamlining government bodies and reducing the number of provinces and cities.

He promotes expanding Vietnam's international partnerships under foreign policy.