HCMC – The 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam today, January 23, unanimously elected To Lam—General Secretary of the 13th Central Committee—to continue serving as General Secretary for the 14th term.
Yesterday, Party General Secretary To Lam and nine other members of the Politburo of the 13th Party Central Committee were re-elected by the 14th National Party Congress as members of the 14th Party Central Committee.
To Lam, a 69-year-old native of Hung Yen Province, has served as a member of the Party Central Committee for four consecutive terms (11th, 12th, 13th and 14th), as a member of the Politburo for three terms (12th, 13th and 14th), and as a National Assembly deputy for two terms (14th and 15th).
After studying at the Central Police School—now the People’s Security Academy—he began his career at the Department of Political Security Protection 1, later serving as its deputy head, then as head of the Department of Political Security Protection 3, and subsequently in the General Department of Security. In 2009, he was appointed Director General of General Department of Security 1.
Before assuming the post of Minister of Public Security in April 2016, he served as a deputy minister for six years. In early 2019, he was promoted to the rank of general, becoming the fourth person in the history of the People’s Public Security force to hold the highest rank.
In May 2024, General To Lam was elected by the National Assembly as State President, and three months later he was elected by the 13th Central Committee as General Secretary. He concurrently held the positions of General Secretary and State President for two months, and has served as General Secretary since October 2024.
During his 17 months as the Party’s top leader, To Lam has led the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat in issuing a series of major policy decisions, guided by a vision of ushering Vietnam into a new era of prosperous and sustainable development.
Over the past year, a sweeping reform to streamline the political system has been carried out nationwide, from the central to the local levels. In early 2025, numerous Party, Government and National Assembly bodies were merged and restructured. In the first half of 2025, the number of provinces and centrally governed cities nationwide was reduced from 63 to 34; the number of communes, wards and special administrative units was cut from 10,035 to 3,321; the district level of administration was abolished; and district-level courts and procuracies were merged into regional courts and procuracies.
The Politburo has issued nine breakthrough resolutions across key areas, including promoting science and technology development; identifying the private sector as one of the most important driving forces of the national economy; reaffirming the leading role of the state sector; moving toward basic free healthcare for all citizens by 2030; designating November 24 as Vietnam Culture Day, with paid leave for workers; and reforming the development and enforcement of laws.
