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), simply and informally the party general secretary or just general secretary (Tổng bí thư, TBT), is the contemporary title for the holder of the highest office within the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), being in practice the highest position in the politics of Vietnam and is considered one of the four pillars of the country's leadership. The general secretaryship used to be the second-highest office within the party when Hồ Chí Minh was the chairman, a post which existed from 1951 to 1969, and since 1969, the general secretary has generally been regarded as the highest leader of Vietnam. The general secretary also holds the title of secretary of the Central Military Commission, the leading party organ on military affairs, being the highest political and ideological leader of the People's Army of Vietnam; however, unlike other Communist Parties' leaders, the Vietnamese position rarely assumes a co-official government office or title such as State President at the same time, alongside the consensus-based four pillars slightly lowering the position's supremacy in the Vietnamese political system to its one-party counterparts. The current general secretary is Tô Lâm, ranking first in the Politburo. The position was once designated the first secretary (Vietnamese: Bí thư Thứ nhất) from 1951 to 1976.
| General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee | |
|---|---|
| Tổng Bí thư Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam | |
Emblem of the Communist Party of Vietnam | |
Flag of the Communist Party of Vietnam | |
Incumbent since 3 August 2024Tô Lâm | |
| Style | Comrade His Excellency |
| Type | Party leader |
| Status | Highest ranking official / Political chief |
| Member of |
|
| 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 |
| Salary | 30,420,000₫ monthly ($1,186 USD) |
Trần Phú, one of the founding members of the Indochinese Communist Party, was the party's first general secretary. A year after being elected, he was sentenced to prison by the French authorities because of anti-French activities. He died in prison the same year. Trần's de facto successor was Lê Hồng Phong who led the party through the office of General Secretary of the Overseas Executive Committee (OEC). The OEC general secretary led the party because the Central Committee had been all but annihilated. Hà Huy Tập, the third general secretary, was removed from his post in March 1938, and was arrested by the authorities in May. Nguyễn Văn Cừ, the fourth general secretary, was arrested by the authorities in January 1940, and executed by shooting on 28 August 1941. He was succeeded by Trường Chinh. An article in Nhân Dân on 25 March 1951 described Trường Chinh's role as the "builder and commander" of the revolution, while Hồ Chí Minh was referred to as "the soul of the Vietnamese revolution and the Vietnamese resistance". Trường Chinh was demoted as first secretary in 1956 because of his role in the Land Reform campaign". Hồ Chí Minh took over the office of first secretary, but quickly appointed Lê Duẩn acting first secretary. Lê Duẩn was elected first secretary in 1960 and was second only to Hồ Chí Minh until the latter's death on 2 September 1969.
From 2 September 1969 until his death on 10 July 1986, Lê Duẩn was the undisputed leader of Vietnam. He died two months before the next National Party Congress. He was succeeded by Trường Chinh, the former general secretary who had served as the second-most powerful politician in Vietnam since Hồ Chí Minh's death. Trường Chinh was demoted from his post at the 6th National Party Congress and was succeeded by Nguyễn Văn Linh. The Western press called Nguyễn Văn Linh "Vietnam's Gorbachev" because of his reformist policies. He resigned because of bad health in 1991, and Đỗ Mười was appointed to the general secretaryship by the 7th National Congress. He ruled until 1997, when he was ousted from power by the reformist-wing of the party. Lê Khả Phiêu was Đỗ Mười's successor, and he was elected as a compromise candidate. He was ousted in 2001, before the 10th National Party Congress, when the Central Committee overturned a decision of the Politburo; a majority in the Central Committee voted to remove Lê Khả Phiêu as general secretary. Nông Đức Mạnh succeeded him, and he came to be considered a modernizer. Nông Đức Mạnh was also the first general secretary with a university degree. He retired in 2011, and was succeeded by Nguyễn Phú Trọng, who ruled for thirteen years before his death. After his death in 2024, Tô Lâm succeeded Trọng.
The general secretary presides over the work of the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, the Secretariat, and chairs meetings with key leaders (Working Regulation of the Central Committee, 2011).
List
| 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 (2001–06) | |
| 10th Central Committee (2006–11) | ||||||
| 12 | Nguyễn Phú Trọng (1944–2024) | 19 January 2011 | 19 July 2024† | 1 | 11th Central Committee (2011–16) | |
| 12th Central Committee (2016–21) | ||||||
| 13th Central Committee (2021–26) | ||||||
| 13 | Tô Lâm (born 1957) | 3 August 2024 | Incumbent | 1 | ||
| 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 (1951–60) 3rd Central Committee (1960–76) | |
Timeline
See also
- 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
Bibliography
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- Porter, Gareth (1993). Vietnam: The Politics of Bureaucratic Socialism. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801421686.
- Quinn-Judge, Sophie (2002). Ho Chi Minh: The Missing Years, 1919–1941. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520235335.
- Van, Canh Nguyen; Cooper, Earle (1983). Vietnam under Communism, 1975–1982. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817978518.
- Woods, L. Shelton (2002). Vietnam: a Global Studies Handbook. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576074169.
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