Tô Lâm

Tô Lâm (born 10 July 1957) is a Vietnamese politician, who has been Minister of Public Security of Vietnam since 9 April 2016.

Tô Lâm was born on 10 July 1957 in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam.

He attended the People's Police School in 1974.

From October 1974 to October 1979: Student at the People’s Security Academy

October 1979 – December 1988: Working at the Political Protection Department I, the Ministry of Public Security

Tô Lâm became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam on 22 August 1981.

December 1988 – 1993: Cadre; Deputy Chief of the Political Protection Department I; the Ministry of Public Security

1993-2006: Deputy Director of the Political Protection Department I, Director of the Political Protection Department III, the Ministry of Public Security;

2006-2009: Deputy Director of the General Security Department, Permanent Deputy Director of the General Security Department in charge of the Political Protection Department I, the Ministry of Public Security; appointed as Major-general in 2007

2009 – August, 2010: Director of the General Security Department I, the Ministry of Public Security; appointed as Lieutenant-General in July, 2010

August 2010 – January 2016: Deputy Minister of Public Security; a member of the Party Central Committee (at the 11th Party Congress)

June 4, 2011: To Lam was appointed as the new Secretary of the Central Police Party Committee

Tô Lâm is a member of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam having previously served as Deputy Minister of Public Security.

September 16, 2014: The Minister of Public Security, Lieutenant General To Lam, was promoted to the rank of Colonel General by President Truong Tan Sang

January 2016 – April 2016: Senior Lieutenant-General/Colonel General; Deputy Minister of Public Security; a member of the Politburo

April 27, 2016: He was appointed Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption by President Tran Dai Quang

July 31, 2016: He was appointed Head of Central Highlands Steering Committee, replacing Tran Dai Quang

July 27, 2016 – present: Member of the Politburo; Head of Central Highlands Steering Committee, Minister of Public Security, Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption

January 29, 2019: The Minister of Public Security, Colonel General To Lam, was promoted to the rank of General by President Nguyen Phu Trong

In November 2021, a video was posted on the TikTok account of celebrity chef Nusret Gökçe, widely known by his nickname Salt Bae, which showed Tô and his entourage dining at Gökçe's Nusr-Et Steakhouse in London after attending the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and laying a wreath at the tomb of Karl Marx.

In the clip, Gökçe feeds Tô a piece of gold-plated steak and then gives a thumbs-up.

The video was deleted from Gökçe’s TikTok account just 30 minutes after a Vietnamese activist shared it on his Facebook page.

The event caused outrage among Vietnamese internet users as the dinner took place when the majority of Vietnamese were struggling with a months-long economic shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many also wondered how Tô could afford a steak that costs 1,450 pounds ($1,975) on a monthly salary of roughly $660.

Despite attracting much attention from the international media, the Vietnamese press did not mention the event.

On Facebook, the hashtag #saltbae was blocked for a few days worldwide, and it was only accessible on November 9.

Facebook did not state the reason for the block and did not say whether or not the Vietnamese government had requested them to do so.

On November 16, 2021, Bui Tuan Lam, 39, a local noodle vendor living in Đà Nẵng was repeatedly targeted by police after posting a video on his personal Facebook page in which he imitated the gesture of chef Nusret Gökce.

On the evening of September 7, 2022, Bui Tuan Lam was arrested by multiple plainclothes police officers at his noodle stand.

After a trial only lasting a day, Lam was sentenced to five-and-a half years in prison and four years of probation upon being released.