Võ Văn Thưởng

Võ Văn Thưởng (born 13 December 1970) is a Vietnamese politician serving as the President of Vietnam since 2023, being the youngest person to serve in this position since the country's reunification.

As the country's head of state, Thưởng is the second highest official in Vietnam after Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

He is currently a member of the Politburo and served as the Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) from 2021 until 2023.

Võ Văn Thưởng was born on 13 December 1970 in Hải Dương, Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

His family left the South during the Vietnam War.

He was born and raised in the North.

In 1988, he majored in Marxist-Leninist Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1992, he graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy in Marxism-Leninism.

In 1992, the year he graduated from university, he was elected as Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of the General University of Ho Chi Minh City.

On 18 November 1993, he was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam and became an official member on 18 November 1994.

He also attended courses at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, receiving an advanced degree in political theory.

In 1993, he became the Vice Head of the Professional University Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

In October 1995, he continued to work for the Youth Union, while concurrently holding the position of Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Students' Association, a newly established body, and Secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Students' Association.

In October 1996, he was elected to the Standing Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, and held the position of Head of Professional University Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

On 26 November 1997, at the National Youth Union Congress, he was elected a member of the 7th Central Committee of the Youth Union.

He was assigned to be a Party member, Secretary of the Personnel Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City National University Union.

After that, he pursued a master's degree in philosophy at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, and received a Master of Philosophy in 1999.

Võ Văn Thưởng was elected as a member of the 5th Ho Chi Minh City People's Council (term 1999 – 2004).

In January 2000, he became the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Students' Association for the second term and was elected Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Students' Association.

In May 2001, he took office as Deputy Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

In November 2002, he was appointed Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

From 8 to 11 December 2002, at the National Youth Union Congress in Hanoi, Võ Văn Thưởng was elected a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

In March 2003, he was the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Federation and was elected to be a Member of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee from October 2003.

He held this position until 2004, succeeded by Tat Thanh Cang.

In December 2004, Võ Văn Thưởng was appointed Secretary of the Party Committee of District 12, Ho Chi Minh City.

On 24 April 2006, at the National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, he was elected as an alternate member of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

In October 2006, he was appointed by the Politburo to be the Standing Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

He was also elected as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, succeeding Dao Ngoc Dung in January 2007.

In December 2007, he was elected as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the 9th Congress of the Youth Union, as well as the Chairman of the National Committee on Youth of Vietnam.

In July 2007, he was elected as a member of the 12th National Assembly (2007–2011) in Vinh Long province.

On 29 February 2008, at the 5th Conference of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Federation, Võ Văn Thưởng was elected as the 5th President of the Vietnam Youth Federation.

He was a member of the 12th and 14th National Assembly of Vietnam, and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam since 2011.

He is also regarded as a close ally of Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

On 18 January 2011, at the 11th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Võ Văn Thưởng was elected as a full member of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (2011–2016).

In August 2011, he was assigned by the Politburo to hold the position of Secretary of the Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee.

On 15 April 2014, he became the Vice Standing Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, 9th tenure (2010–2015), replacing Nguyen Van Dua, also a former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

He is also a member of the 15th National Assembly of Vietnam.

He was the head of Central Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2016 to 2021, a deputy standing Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Secretary of the Quang Ngai Party Committee; standing Secretary and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Federation.

He is the youngest standing member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee in the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Thưởng is a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam, holding a Master's degree in philosophy and an advanced degree in political theory.