General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee
Flag of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Emblem of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Incumbent Tô Lâm since 3 August 2024
Style	Comrade His Excellency
Member of	Central Committee Political Bureau Central Military Commission Secretariat
Appointer	Central Committee
Term length	Five years, renewable once (but exemptions can be given)
Precursor	Chairman First Secretary
Inaugural holder	Trần Phú
Formation	27 October 1930; 95 years ago (1930-10-27)
Salary	30,420,000₫ monthly ($1,186 USD)

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (Vietnamese: Tổng Bí thư Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam) is a very important leader in Vietnam. This person holds the highest position within the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). In simple terms, the General Secretary is the most powerful political figure in Vietnam. This role is even above the president and prime minister.

Understanding the General Secretary

What is the General Secretary's Role?

The General Secretary leads the Communist Party of Vietnam. This position has been the top leader of Vietnam since 1969. Before that, Hồ Chí Minh held the title of chairman from 1951 to 1969. During that time, the General Secretary was the second-highest leader.

The General Secretary also leads the Central Military Commission. This group guides the military. So, the General Secretary is the top political and idea-based leader of the People's Army of Vietnam. Unlike leaders in some other communist parties, the Vietnamese General Secretary usually does not also hold a main government job like president at the same time.

The current General Secretary is Tô Lâm. He became the leader on August 3, 2024. He is considered the top person in the Politburo, which is a key decision-making group. The position was once called the First Secretary (Vietnamese: Bí thư Thứ nhất) from 1960 to 1976.

The General Secretary guides the work of several important groups. These include the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, and the Secretariat. The General Secretary also leads meetings with other important leaders.

A Look at History: Past Leaders

Early Leaders and Challenges

Trần Phú was the very first General Secretary of the party. He was one of the people who helped start the Indochinese Communist Party. About a year after he was chosen, he faced challenges and was imprisoned by the French authorities. He sadly passed away in prison that same year.

After Trần Phú, Lê Hồng Phong became the leader. He guided the party through difficult times. Later, Hà Huy Tập became the third General Secretary. He faced difficulties and was arrested in 1938. Nguyễn Văn Cừ, the fourth General Secretary, also faced challenges and was arrested in 1940. He sadly passed away in 1941.

Trường Chinh then took over as General Secretary. In 1945, the Indochinese Communist Party was temporarily changed. It was renamed the Institute for Studying Marxism in Indochina. However, it continued to work secretly. The party was officially re-established in 1951 as the Workers’ Party of Vietnam.

Changes in Leadership Over Time

In 1951, Trường Chinh was seen as a key builder of the revolution. Meanwhile, Hồ Chí Minh was called "the soul of the Vietnamese revolution." In 1956, Trường Chinh's role changed due to policies he oversaw. Hồ Chí Minh briefly took over as First Secretary. He then quickly appointed Lê Duẩn to act in the role.

Lê Duẩn was officially chosen as First Secretary in 1960. He was the second most powerful person after Hồ Chí Minh until Hồ Chí Minh's death in 1969. From 1969 until his own death in 1986, Lê Duẩn was the main leader of Vietnam.

After Lê Duẩn, Trường Chinh again became General Secretary for a short time. He had been a very powerful politician for many years. At the 6th National Party Congress, Nguyễn Văn Linh became the new leader. He was known for his ideas to bring about reforms. He stepped down in 1991 due to health reasons.

Đỗ Mười was then appointed General Secretary. He led until 1997. After him, Lê Khả Phiêu was chosen. His term ended in 2001 when the party leadership decided on a new leader. Nông Đức Mạnh became the next General Secretary. He was known for modernizing the country. He was also the first General Secretary to have a university degree.

Nông Đức Mạnh retired in 2011. Nguyễn Phú Trọng then became General Secretary. He led for thirteen years until his passing in 2024. After his death, Tô Lâm became the current General Secretary on August 3, 2024.

List of General Secretaries

General Secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party Central Committee Tổng Bí thư Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Đông Dương
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Rank	Central Committee
1		Trần Phú (1904–1931)	27 October 1930	6 September 1931†	1	Provisional Central Committee (1930–35)
2		Lê Hồng Phong (1902–1942)	27 October 1931	26 July 1936	1	1st Central Committee (1935–45)
3		Hà Huy Tập (1906–1941)	26 July 1936	30 March 1938	1
4		Nguyễn Văn Cừ (1912–1941)	30 March 1938	9 November 1940	1
5		Trường Chinh (1907–1988)	9 November 1940	11 November 1945	1	1st Central Committee (1935–45)
First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam Central Committee Bí thư Thứ nhất Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Lao động Việt Nam
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Rank	Central Committee
5		Trường Chinh (1907–1988)	19 February 1951	5 October 1956	2	2nd Central Committee (1951–60)
6		Hồ Chí Minh (1890–1969)	5 October 1956	10 September 1960	1	2nd Central Committee (1951–60)
						3rd Central Committee (1960–76)
7		Lê Duẩn (1907–1986)	10 September 1960	20 December 1976)	2
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Tổng Bí thư Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam
7		Lê Duẩn (1907–1986)	20 December 1976	10 July 1986†	1	4th Central Committee (1976–81)
						5th Central Committee (1981–86)
5		Trường Chinh (1907–1988)	14 July 1986	18 December 1986	1	5th Central Committee (1981–86)
8		Nguyễn Văn Linh (1915–1998)	18 December 1986	28 June 1991	1	6th Central Committee (1986–91)
9		Đỗ Mười (1917–2018)	28 June 1991	26 December 1997	1	7th Central Committee (1991–96)
						8th Central Committee (1996–2001)
10		Lê Khả Phiêu (1932–2020)	26 December 1997	22 April 2001	1
11		Nông Đức Mạnh (born 1940)	22 April 2001	19 January 2011	1	9th Central Committee (2001–2006)
						10th Central Committee (2006–2011)
12		Nguyễn Phú Trọng (1944–2024)	19 January 2011	19 July 2024†	1	11th Central Committee (2011–2016)
						12th Central Committee (2016–2021) 13th Central Committee (2021–2024)
						13th Central Committee partial (2024–2026)
13		Tô Lâm (born 1957)	3 August 2024	Incumbent	1
						14th Central Committee (2026–31)

Chairman of the Workers' Party of Vietnam Central Committee Chủ tịch Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Lao động Việt Nam
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Rank	Central Committee
*		Hồ Chí Minh (1890–1969)	19 February 1951	2 September 1969†	1	2nd Central Committee (1951–1960) 3rd Central Committee (1960–1976)

Key

† Died in office

Timeline of Leaders

See also

In Spanish: Secretario general del Partido Comunista de Vietnam para niños

• Permanent Member of the Secretariat
• General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
• General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
• General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union