Lê Đức Anh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
His Excellency
Lê Đức Anh
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Official portrait, 1983
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| 5th President of Vietnam | |
| In office 22 September 1992 – 24 September 1997 |
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| Prime Minister | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| Vice President | Nguyễn Thị Bình |
| Preceded by | Võ Chí Công |
| Succeeded by | Trần Đức Lương |
| Chairman of the Council for National Defense and Security | |
| In office 22 September 1992 – 24 September 1997 |
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| Deputy | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| Succeeded by | Trần Đức Lương |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 16 February 1987 – 10 August 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Văn Tiến Dũng |
| Succeeded by | Đoàn Khuê |
| 4th Chief of the General Staff | |
| In office December 1986 – February 1987 |
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| President | Trường Chinh |
| Preceded by | Lê Trọng Tấn |
| Succeeded by | Đoàn Khuê |
| Member of the Politburo | |
| In office 31 March 1982 – 29 December 1997 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 December 1920 Thừa Thiên–Huế Province, Annam, French Indochina |
| Died | 22 April 2019 (aged 98) Hanoi, Vietnam |
| Political party | Communist Party of Vietnam (1945–2001) |
| Awards |  Gold Star Order Ho Chi Minh Order Military Exploit Order |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Vietnam People's Army |
| Years of service | 1945–1992 |
| Rank | Army General |
Lê Đức Anh (born December 1, 1920 – died April 22, 2019) was an important Vietnamese leader. He was a general in the army and later became the fifth President of Vietnam. He served as president from 1992 to 1997. Before becoming president, he led Vietnamese forces in Cambodia during the 1980s. He was known for believing in strong government control over the country.
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Lê Đức Anh was born in Phú Lộc District in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province. He joined the army in August 1945. This was during the August Revolution, which led to the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He started his military career as a political officer.
Rising Through the Ranks
From 1948 to 1950, he was a chief of staff in different military regions. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff in southern Vietnam from 1951 to 1954. This was during the First Indochina War.
After the war, he became an officer in the General Staff of the People's Army. He was promoted to colonel in 1958. From 1964 to 1968, he led the Human Resources Department for the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong was a group fighting in South Vietnam.
In 1969, he became a commander in the Mekong Delta region. He was promoted to Lieutenant General. He played a role in the Vietnam War during the Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1974-1975. This campaign led to the end of the war.
Role in Cambodia
After the Vietnam War, Lê Đức Anh became a Colonel-General in 1980. He was the commander of Vietnamese forces in Cambodia in the 1980s. He helped plan the defense of Cambodia against the Khmer Rouge. His plan was known as the K5 Plan.
Political Career
After his military career, Lê Đức Anh moved into politics. He held several important government jobs. As Minister of Defense, he was a strong voice for keeping the Communist Party in control.
Views on Communism
In 1989, when communism was falling in Eastern Europe, he warned about outside threats to Vietnam's Communist Party. He believed the army should be more involved in politics to protect Vietnam's socialist system.
International Relations
Lê Đức Anh was a member of the National Assembly from 1976 to 1997. From 1991 to 1993, he guided Vietnam's policy towards Cambodia and China. He helped improve relations between Vietnam and China in 1991. In 1993, he became the first Vietnamese president to visit Beijing in 38 years. He discussed trade and disagreements over the South China Sea with Chinese leaders.
Key Government Roles
In 1981, he became Deputy Minister of Defense. He also led the Political Department in the Ministry of Defense. He was promoted to general in 1984 while leading the Vietnamese army in Cambodia.
From 1982 to 2001, he was a member of the Politburo. This is a very powerful group within the Communist Party. From 1986 to 1987, he was the Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese People's Army. He then became the Minister of Defense until 1992.
President of Vietnam
In September 1992, Lê Đức Anh was elected as the new President of Vietnam. This job was mostly ceremonial before, but it became more important during his time. He took over from Võ Chí Công and served until September 1997. Trần Đức Lương then became president.
Political Differences
Lê Đức Anh was seen as a very traditional communist leader. He often disagreed with Prime Minister Võ Văn Kiệt, who wanted more reforms. The leader of the Communist Party, Đỗ Mười, often tried to find a middle ground between them.
Health and Retirement
In November 1996, Lê Đức Anh had a serious stroke and was hospitalized. His illness briefly changed the political balance in Vietnam. However, he made a surprising recovery in April 1997. He stepped down as president in September 1997 after the Communist Party Congress. After that, he served as an advisor to the Party's Central Committee until 2001.
Personal Life
Lê Đức Anh married Phạm Thị Anh in 1951, and they had two daughters. In 1956, he married Võ Thị Lê, and they had one son and one daughter.
In February 2018, he had another cerebral hemorrhage and was in critical condition. He was discharged in June but was readmitted in July.
Death and Funeral
Lê Đức Anh passed away on April 22, 2019, at the age of 98, in Hanoi. He was given a state funeral on May 3-4, 2019. His body was laid to rest in his home province of Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh.
See also
In Spanish: Lê Đức Anh para niños
- K5 Plan
Sources
- Bolton, Kent (1999): "Domestic Sources of Vietnam's Foreign Policy: Normalizing Relations with the United States". in Thayer, Carlyle A., Amer, Ramses (ed.): Vietnamese Foreign Policy in Transition. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
- Thayer, Carlyle A. (1999): "Vietnamese Foreign Policy: Multilateralism and the Threat of Peaceful Evolution". in Thayer, Carlyle A., Amer, Ramses (1999): Vietnamese Foreign Policy in Transition. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
- Wurfel, David (1999): "Between China and ASEAN: The Dialectics of Recent Vietnamese Foreign Policy". in Thayer, Carlyle A., Amer, Ramses (ed.): Vietnamese Foreign Policy in Transition. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Võ Chí Công |
President of Vietnam 1992–1997 |
Succeeded by Trần Đức Lương |
