Office

The President of Vietnam (Chủ tịch nước Việt Nam) is the head of state of Vietnam, although the functions of the President are often ceremonial. The President is responsible for appointing the Prime Minister and the Cabinet from among the members of the National Assembly, basing his or her decision upon indications from the Assembly itself. Other offices the president holds include (nominal) Commander of the Vietnamese military, and Head of the Council on National Defense and Security. He is also always a high-ranking member of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, as Vietnam is a single-party state. So far, all presidents have been male.

Election

The President is elected by the National Assembly for a five year term. He is always elected from the Assembly itself.

History of the Presidency

The position of President was created when the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was established on 2 July 1976. There have been six presidents since that point (assuming that Nguyen Huu Tho, who was only Acting President, is not counted). From 4 July 1981, the title was changed from President to Chairman of the State Council, but was restored to President from 22 September 1992.

Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam, 1945-1976)

Presidents

Name	Born-Died	Term start	Term end	Political Party
Hồ Chí Minh	1890-1969	2 September 1945	2 September 1969	Indochinese Communist Party (until 1951), Vietnamese Workers' Party (from 1951)
Tôn Đức Thắng	1888-1980	3 September 1969 (acting to 23 September 1969)	2 July 1976	Vietnamese Workers' Party

Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976-Present)

Presidents

Name	Born-Died	Term start	Term end	Political Party
Tôn Đức Thắng	1888-1980	2 July 1976	30 March 1980	Vietnamese Workers' Party (until 1976), Communist Party of Vietnam (from 1976)
Nguyễn Hữu Thọ (acting)	1910-1996	30 March 1980	4 July 1981	Communist Party of Vietnam

Chairmen of the State Council

Name	Born-Died	Term start	Term end	Political Party
Trường Chinh	1908-1988	4 July 1981	18 June 1987	Communist Party of Vietnam
Võ Chí Công	1913-	18 June 1987	22 September 1992	Communist Party of Vietnam

Presidents

Name	Born-Died	Term start	Term end	Political Party
Lê Đức Anh	1920-	23 September 1992	24 September 1997	Communist Party of Vietnam
Trần Đức Lương	1937-	24 September 1997	27 June 2006	Communist Party of Vietnam
Nguyễn Minh Triết	1942-	27 June 2006	Present	Communist Party of Vietnam

See also

• Prime Minister of Vietnam
• Leaders of South Vietnam