Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam

Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
*Phó Thủ tướng Chính phủ nước Cộng hòa Xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam*
Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the; Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Phó Thủ tướng Chính phủ nước Cộng hòa Xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam
	Emblem of Vietnam
Style	His Excellency
Member of	Government of Vietnam
Reports to	Prime Minister; National Assembly
Seat	Hanoi, Vietnam
Appointer	Prime Minister
Term length	No fixed restrictions
Inaugural holder	Nguyễn Hải Thần
Formation	27 September 1945

The deputy prime minister of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Phó Thủ tướng Chính phủ nước Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), known as the deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers (Vietnamese: Phó Chủ tịch Hội đồng Bộ trưởng) from 1981 to 1992, is one of the highest offices within the Central Government. The deputy prime minister has throughout its history been responsible for helping the prime minister to handle Vietnam's internal policies. Since Vietnam is a one-party state, with the Communist Party of Vietnam being the sole party allowed by the constitution, all the deputy prime ministers of the Democratic Republic and the Socialist Republic have been members of the party while holding office.

There are currently five deputy prime ministers: Nguyễn Hòa Bình, Trần Hồng Hà, Lê Thành Long, Hồ Đức Phớc and Bùi Thanh Sơn. Each deputy prime minister is responsible for one particular field of the country.

The Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, also known as the First Deputy Prime Minister (Vietnamese: Phó Thủ tướng Thường trực Chính phủ), is a senior member of the Central Government and usually a member of the Politburo. The Permanent Deputy Prime Minister ranks second in the cabinet after the Prime Minister and above all the other deputy prime ministers and ministers. This position is currently held by Nguyễn Hoà Bình since August 2024.

All deputy prime ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister with consent from the National Assembly.^[1]

Deputy prime ministers of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945–1976)

No. ^{[note 2]}		Rank ^{[note 3]}	Name (birth–death)	Portrait	Took office	Left office	Prime Minister
1	1	—	Nguyễn Hải Thần (1878–1958)		27 September 1945	1 June 1946	Hồ Chí Minh
2	2	6	Phạm Văn Đồng (1906–2000)		25 June 1947	20 September 1955	Hồ Chí Minh
3	3	—	Phan Kế Toại (1892–1973)		20 September 1955	6 June 1973	Phạm Văn Đồng
4	4	5	Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013)		20 September 1955	2 July 1976
4	4	7	Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013)		20 September 1955	2 July 1976
5	5	2	Trường Chinh (1907–1988)		April 1958	10 June 1960
6	6	11	Phạm Hùng (1912–1988)		April 1958	10 June 1971
6	6	5	Phạm Hùng (1912–1988)		April 1958	10 June 1971
7	7	10	Nguyễn Duy Trinh (1910–1985)		15 June 1960	2 July 1976
7	7	9	Nguyễn Duy Trinh (1910–1985)		15 June 1960	2 July 1976
8	8	12	Lê Thanh Nghị (1911–1989)		15 June 1960	2 July 1976
8	8	10	Lê Thanh Nghị (1911–1989)		15 June 1960	2 July 1976
9	9	—	Nguyễn Côn (1916–2022)	—	November 1967	2 July 1976
10	10	—	Đỗ Mười (1917–2018)		December 1969	2 July 1976
11	11	—	Hoàng Anh (1912–2016)	—	April 1971	2 July 1976
12	12	—	Trần Hữu Dực (1910–1993)	—	March 1974	2 July 1976
13	13	—	Phan Trọng Tuệ (1917–1991)	—	March 1974	2 July 1976
14	14	—	Đặng Việt Châu (1914–1987)	—	March 1974	2 July 1976

Deputy prime ministers of the Republic of South Vietnam (1969–1976)

No. ^{[note 2]}	Name (birth–death)	Portrait	Took office	Left office	Chairman of government
1	Phùng Văn Cung (1909–1987)	—	6 June 1969	2 July 1976	Huỳnh Tấn Phát
2	Nguyễn Văn Kiết (1906–1987)	—	6 June 1969	2 July 1976
3	Nguyễn Đóa (1896–1993)	—	6 June 1969	2 July 1976
4	Trịnh Đình Thảo (1901–1986)		6 June 1969	2 July 1976

Deputy prime ministers of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)

No. ^{[note 2]}		Rank ^{[note 3]}	Name (birth–death)	Portrait	Took office	Left office	Prime Minister
1	3	7	Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013)		2 July 1976	8 August 1991	Phạm Văn Đồng
		6					Phạm Văn Đồng
		—
							Phạm Hùng
							Đỗ Mười
2	6	5	Phạm Hùng (1912–1988)		2 July 1976	22 June 1987	Phạm Văn Đồng
		4
		2
3	8	10	Lê Thanh Nghị (1911–1989)		2 July 1976	4 July 1981
3	8	8	Lê Thanh Nghị (1911–1989)		2 July 1976	4 July 1981
4	10	17	Đỗ Mười (1917–2018)		2 July 1976	22 June 1987	Phạm Văn Đồng
		11					Phạm Văn Đồng
		4					Phạm Hùng
5	15	—	Huỳnh Tấn Phát (1913–1989)		2 July 1976	June 1982	Phạm Văn Đồng
6	16	13	Võ Chí Công (1912–2011)		2 July 1976	April 1982
6	16	7	Võ Chí Công (1912–2011)		2 July 1976	April 1982
7	17	15	Tố Hữu (1920–2002)		February 1980	June 1986
7	17	9	Tố Hữu (1920–2002)		February 1980	June 1986
8	18	—	Nguyễn Lam (1922–1990)	—	February 1980	April 1982
9	19	—	Trần Quỳnh (1920–2005)	—	January 1981	February 1987
10	20	10	Võ Văn Kiệt (1922–2008)		April 1982	8 August 1991	Phạm Văn Đồng
		5					Himself (acting)
							Phạm Hùng
							Đỗ Mười
11	21	16	Đồng Sỹ Nguyên (1923–2019)	—	April 1982	8 August 1991	Phạm Văn Đồng
		9
		9					Phạm Hùng
		—					Đỗ Mười
12	22	—	Vũ Đình Liệu (1918–2005)	—	April 1982	February 1987	Phạm Văn Đồng
13	23	—	Trần Phương (born 1927)	—	April 1982	February 1987
6	16	3	Võ Chí Công (1912–2011)		27 June 1986	22 June 1987
14	24	8	Nguyễn Cơ Thạch (1921–1998)		February 1987	8 August 1991	Phạm Văn Đồng
							Phạm Hùng
							Đỗ Mười
		—					Đỗ Mười
15	25	—	Nguyễn Ngọc Trìu (1926–2016)	—	February 1987	May 1988	Phạm Văn Đồng
15	25	—	Nguyễn Ngọc Trìu (1926–2016)	—	February 1987	May 1988	Phạm Hùng
16	26	—	Trần Đức Lương (born 1937)		February 1987	29 September 1997	Phạm Văn Đồng
							Phạm Hùng
							Đỗ Mười
							Võ Văn Kiệt
		12
		12					Phan Văn Khải
17	27	—	Nguyễn Khánh (1928–2023)	—	February 1987	29 September 1997	Phạm Văn Đồng
							Phạm Hùng
							Đỗ Mười
							Võ Văn Kiệt
							Phan Văn Khải
18	28	—	Đoàn Duy Thành (born 1929)	—	February 1987	May 1988	Phạm Văn Đồng
18	28	—	Đoàn Duy Thành (born 1929)	—	February 1987	May 1988	Phạm Hùng
19	29	—	Nguyễn Văn Chính (1924–2016)	—	February 1987	May 1988	Phạm Văn Đồng
19	29	—	Nguyễn Văn Chính (1924–2016)	—	February 1987	May 1988	Phạm Hùng
20	30	—	Phan Văn Khải (1933–2018)		8 August 1991	29 September 1997	Đỗ Mười
		8					Võ Văn Kiệt
		7
		3
21	31	15	Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (born 1949)		29 September 1997	27 June 2006	Phan Văn Khải
		5
		4
22	32	8	Nguyễn Mạnh Cầm (born 1929)		29 September 1997	12 August 2002
22	32	—	Nguyễn Mạnh Cầm (born 1929)		29 September 1997	12 August 2002
23	33	—	Nguyễn Công Tạn (1935–2014)	—	29 September 1997	12 August 2002
24	34	—	Ngô Xuân Lộc (born 1940)	—	29 September 1997	11 December 1999
25	35	—	Phạm Gia Khiêm (born 1944)		29 September 1997	3 August 2011	Phan Văn Khải
25	35	7	Phạm Gia Khiêm (born 1944)		29 September 1997	3 August 2011	Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
26	36	—	Vũ Khoan (1937–2023)		12 August 2002	27 June 2006	Phan Văn Khải
27	37	—	Nguyễn Sinh Hùng (born 1946)		28 June 2006	25 July 2011	Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
28	38	9	Trương Vĩnh Trọng (1942–2021)		28 June 2006	19 January 2012
29	39	—	Hoàng Trung Hải (born 1959)		2 August 2007	8 April 2016
30	40	—	Nguyễn Thiện Nhân (born 1953)		2 August 2007	11 November 2013
31	41	3	Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (born 1954)		2 August 2011	7 April 2016
31	41	6	Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (born 1954)		2 August 2011	7 April 2016
32	42	—	Vũ Văn Ninh (born 1955)		2 August 2011	8 April 2016
33	43	—	Phạm Bình Minh (born 1959)		13 November 2013	5 January 2023	Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
		13					Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
		13					Phạm Minh Chính
34	44	—	Vũ Đức Đam (born 1963)		13 November 2013	5 January 2023	Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
							Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
							Phạm Minh Chính
35	45	11	Vương Đình Huệ (born 1957)		9 April 2016	11 June 2020	Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
36	46	15	Trương Hòa Bình (born 1955)		9 April 2016	28 July 2021
37	47	—	Trịnh Đình Dũng (born 1956)		9 April 2016	7 April 2021
38	48	—	Lê Minh Khái (born 1964)		8 April 2021	26 August 2024	Phạm Minh Chính
39	49	—	Lê Văn Thành (1962–2023)		8 April 2021	22 August 2023
40	50	—	Trần Hồng Hà (born 1964)		5 January 2023	Incumbent
41	51	—	Trần Lưu Quang (born 1967)		5 January 2023	26 August 2024
42	52	—	Lê Thành Long (born 1963)		6 June 2024	Incumbent
43	53	—	Nguyễn Hòa Bình (born 1958)		26 August 2024	Incumbent
44	54	—	Hồ Đức Phớc (born 1963)		26 August 2024	Incumbent
45	55	—	Bùi Thanh Sơn (born 1962)		26 August 2024	Incumbent

Notes

1.^ The Politburo of the Central Committee is the highest decision-making body of the CPV and the Central Government. The membership composition, and the order of rank of the individual Politburo members is decided in an election within the newly formed Central Committee in the aftermath of a Party Congress.^[2] The Central Committee can overrule the Politburo, but that does not happen often.^[3]

2.^ These numbers are official. The "—" denotes acting deputy prime minister. The first column shows how many deputy prime ministers there have been in Vietnamese history, while the second show how many deputy prime ministers there was in that state.

3.^ The Central Committee when it convenes for its first session after being elected by a National Party Congress elects the Politburo.^[2] According to David Koh, in interviews with several high-standing Vietnamese officials, the Politburo ranking is based upon the number of approval votes by the Central Committee. Lê Hồng Anh, the Minister of Public Security, was ranked 2nd in the 10th Politburo because he received the second-highest number of approval votes. Another example being Tô Huy Rứa of the 10th Politburo, he was ranked lowest because he received the lowest approval vote of the 10th Central Committee when he stood for election for a seat in the Politburo. This system was implemented at the 1st plenum of the 10th Central Committee.^[4] The Politburo ranking functioned as an official order of precedence before the 10th Party Congress, and some believe it still does.^[2]

References

^ "Ông Phạm Bình Minh làm nhiệm vụ Phó Thủ tướng Thường trực Chính phủ". laodong.vn (in Vietnamese). 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
^ ^a ^b ^c Van & Cooper 1983, p. 69.
^ Abuza, Zachary (2002). "The Lessons of Le Kha Phieu: Changing Rules in Vietnamese politics" (PDF). Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24 (1): 121–45. doi:10.1355/CS24-1H. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
^ Koh 2008, p. 666.

Bibliography

Koh, David (July–August 2008). "Leadership Changes at the 10th Congress of the Vietnamese Communist Party". Asian Survey. 48 (4). University of California Press: 650–672. doi:10.1525/as.2008.48.4.650. JSTOR 10.1525/as.2008.48.4.650.
Van, Canh Nguyen; Cooper, Earle (1983). Vietnam under Communism, 1975–1982. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817978518.

[1] "Ông Phạm Bình Minh làm nhiệm vụ Phó Thủ tướng Thường trực Chính phủ". laodong.vn (in Vietnamese). 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2023-11-26.

[FOOTNOTEVanCooper198369-2] Van & Cooper 1983, p. 69.

[3] Abuza, Zachary (2002). "The Lessons of Le Kha Phieu: Changing Rules in Vietnamese politics" (PDF). Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24 (1): 121–45. doi:10.1355/CS24-1H. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

[FOOTNOTEKoh2008666-4] Koh 2008, p. 666.

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