Lương Cường (; born 15 August 1957) is a Vietnamese politician and former army

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who is currently serving as the 14th

president of Vietnam The president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam () is the head of state of Vietnam, elected by the National Assembly of Vietnam from its delegates. Since Vietnam is a one-party state, candidates for the post are nominated by the Central Commit ...

since October 2024. He also served as the

permanent Member of the Secretariat The Permanent Member of the Secretariat, officially the Permanent Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee's Secretariat (), is a senior position within the Communist Party of Vietnam. The Permanent Member is appointed by the Po ...

since May 2024 to October 2024 and as director of the general department of politics of the

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...

from April 2016 to June 2024.

Biography

He was born in

Phú Thọ Province Phú Thọ is a Provinces of Vietnam, province in Đông Bắc, northern Vietnam. Its capital is Việt Trì, which is from Hanoi and from Noi Bai International Airport, Nội Bài International Airport. The province covers an area of and, as ...

on 15 August 1957. He has a bachelor's degree in Party Building and State Administration, and a high level of political theory. During his work, he attended training courses for cadres at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and in China.

Career

Cường joined the Vietnamese army at the age of 18 in 1975. He fought in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He became a member of the

Communist Party of Vietnam The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is the founding and sole legal party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Founded in 1930 by Hồ Chí Minh, the CPV became the ruling party of North Vietnam in 1954 and then all of Vietnam after the col ...

in August 1978. He has been a member of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

since 2021, and a member of the Central Committee since 2011. Cường was previously vice director of the

General Political Department from 2011 to 2016 where he became the director, and was promoted to the rank of

four-star General Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usually ...

in 2019. On 16 May 2024, Cường was assigned by the

to assume the position of

Permanent Member of the Secretariat The Permanent Member of the Secretariat, officially the Permanent Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee's Secretariat (), is a senior position within the Communist Party of Vietnam. The Permanent Member is appointed by the Po ...

, the fifth-highest ranking position in Vietnam's political system, following the resignation of

Trương Thị Mai Trương Thị Mai (; born 23 January 1958) is a Vietnamese politician. She was the Permanent Member of the Secretariat and Head of the Central Organization Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, being the first woman to hold these posit ...

Presidency (2024–present)

On 26 August 2024,

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

Tô Lâm Tô Lâm (; born 10 July 1957) is a Vietnamese politician and former police officer who has served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since August 2024 and the 13th p ...

resigned from the presidency shortly after his election as the new general secretary earlier that month following

Nguyễn Phú Trọng Nguyễn Phú Trọng ( ; 14 April 194419 July 2024) was a Vietnamese politician and political theorist who served as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2011 until his death in 2024. As the head of the party's Secretaria ...

's death in July. On 21 October, at the eighth session of the 15th National Assembly, Cường was elected to the presidency with 440/440 attending National Assembly delegates in favor (reaching 91.67% of the total number of National Assembly delegates). He was subsequently inaugurated as president, succeeding Tô Lâm. In his inaugural speech, Cường declared his commitment to maintaining and enhancing high unity and solidarity within the Party; building a clean and strong Socialist rule-of-law state; strengthening national defense and security; and consistently pursuing an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, and friendly foreign policy. On the morning of 22 October 2024, the handover ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace. At the ceremony, Tô Lâm officially handed over the presidential duties to Cường and requested relevant agencies to report specific tasks, review work plans, and coordinate internal and external affairs with the new president.

Foreign affairs

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets President of Vietnam Luong Cuong at APEC Peru 2024 02

On 10 November 2024, Cường began a three-day visit to Chile, his first overseas visit since becoming president. He arrived in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

to meet President

Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean politician and the President of Chile since 2022. He previously served two four-year terms as a deputy in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies. Boric first gained prom ...

. Before that, he visited the home of the late president

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...

and met with members of Allende's family. During the visit, a member of Cường's delegation was arrested for sexual assault. On 13 November, Cường arrived in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

in Peru to participate in the APEC Summit. He was awarded the

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

by Peruvian president

Dina Boluarte Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra (; born 31 May 1962) is a Peruvian politician, civil servant, and lawyer who has been serving as the 64th president of Peru since 2022. She had served as the Vice President of Peru, first vice president and minister ...

. He also met with many other world leaders during the summit.

Rank

* Major General (2005) *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(2009) *

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

(2014) *

Army General Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

(2019)

Honours

National awards

Military Exploit Order The Military Exploit Order () is the highest military award of Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of o ...

(1st class) * Vietnam_Military_Exploit_Order_2kl_rib

Military Exploit Order (2nd class) * Vietnam_Military_Exploit_Order_3kl_rib

Military Exploit Order (3rd class) * Vietnam_Feat_Order_ribbon

Feat Order The Feat Order () is a service award conferred by the Government of Vietnam for "exceptionally outstanding feats, brave, wise, creative in excellently fulfilled assigned tasks in combat service". It was established in 1947, and can be awarded to ...

(1st class) * Vietnam_Feat_Order_2kl_rib

Feat Order (2nd class) * Vietnam_Feat_Order_3kl_rib

Feat Order (3rd class) * Vietnam_Friendship_Order_ribbon

Victory Banner Medal * Vietnam_PLAF_Homeland_ribbon

Fatherland Protection Medal * Vietnam_Glorious_Fighter_Medal_ribbon

Glorious Fighter Medal (1st class) * Huan_chuong_chien_si_ve_vang2

Glorious Fighter Medal (2nd class) * Huan_chuong_chien_si_ve_vang3

Glorious Fighter Medal (3rd class) * Decoration_without_ribbon_-_en

40 years of Party membership badge

Foreign awards

KHM_Royal_Order_of_Sahametrei_-_Grand_Cross

Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sahametrei (Cambodia, 2019) *

Order of Playa Girón The Order of Playa Girón is a national order conferred by the Council of State of Cuba on Cubans or foreigners. It was established in 1961 and is named after the Playa Girón (Girón beach), site of the Cuban victory in the Bay of Pigs Invasion ...

(Cuba, 2022) * Freedom Medal (2nd class) (Laos, 2019) * PER_Order_of_the_Sun_of_Peru_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Collar of the

(Peru, 2024) * Orden_of_Friendship

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

(Russia, 2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luong, Cuong Generals of the People's Army of Vietnam People from Phú Thọ province Living people 1957 births Members of the 13th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 12th Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Presidents of Vietnam Grand Crosses of the Order of the Sun of Peru Vietnamese military personnel of the Sino-Vietnamese War