Phạm Bình Minh

Phạm Bình Minh (born 26 March 1959) is a Vietnamese politician who is currently a Deputy Prime Minister since 2013. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 2011 to 2021. Phạm is also a member of Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam headed by General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

He was previously Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 2009 to August 2011, and was born in Nam Định Province. He is the son of Nguyễn Cơ Thạch, a former foreign minister of Vietnam.

Early life

Phạm Bình Minh graduated in 1981 from the University of Diplomacy (now the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam). He obtained a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at Fletcher School, Tufts University, United States of America.

He is fluent in Vietnamese and English.

Career

Minh began his diplomatic career in 1981 as a Desk Officer at the Department of Training in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam. From 1982 to 1985, he held the position of an Attaché at the Embassy of Viet Nam to the United Kingdom. Before assuming the position of Deputy Director General of the Department for International Organizations from 1991 to 1999, he worked as a Desk Officer at the Department for General Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1986 to 1990.

In the period of 1999 - January 2003, he served as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations in New York City, and Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Viet Nam to the United States of America. Back in Viet Nam in 2003, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Acting Director General and Director General of the Department for International Organizations, Head of Delegation for Dialogue on Human Rights with other countries.

He was elected as an alternate member of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in April 2006, and became a member of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in January 2009. Currently, he is a member of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He was elected as a member of the 13th National Assembly in November 2008.

He was appointed Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs in September 2006 and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2007, then Permanent Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam until August 2011. On 13 November 2013, he was designated as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Prior to that time, he was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam on 3 August 2011 and since then has served as the 12th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam.

Awards and honours

He has been conferred with many awards of high distinction, namely the Third-Class Labour Order in 2009 for excellent performance from 2002 to 2008; the National Emulation Fighter in 2010 for excellent performance in the national emulation campaign and contribution to the cause of socialist building and national defence; the Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit in 2011 for excellent performance and contribution during Viet Nam’s Non-Permanent Membership of the United Nations Security Council, contributing to the cause of socialist building and national defence; the Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit in 2006 for excellent performance from 2001 to 2006; and the Medal for the Diplomatic Cause in 2003 for valuable contribution to the development of Viet Nam’s diplomacy.(Vietnamese)

See also

*List of foreign ministers in 2017
*List of current foreign ministers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pham, Binh Minh
1959 births
Living people
People from Nam Định province
Government ministers of Vietnam
Foreign ministers of Vietnam
Members of the National Assembly (Vietnam)
Deputy Prime Ministers of Vietnam