General Secretary Tô Lâm, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and other Party and State leaders presented flowers to congratulate the newly appointed Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, and Chairpersons of the National Assembly’s Committees. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — The 15th National Assembly, during its 10th session on October 25, approved the appointment of two Deputy Prime Ministers and three ministers for the 2021–2026 term, alongside several other key personnel decisions.

The legislature ratified the Prime Minister’s proposal to appoint Phạm Thị Thanh Trà and Hồ Quốc Dũng as Deputy Prime Ministers for the 2021–2026 term. The appointment of Phạm Thị Thanh Trà marks a historic milestone, as she becomes Việt Nam’s first female Deputy Prime Minister. The National Assembly also approved the appointment of Lê Hoài Trung as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trần Đức Thắng as Minister of Agriculture and Environment, and Đỗ Thanh Bình as Minister of Home Affairs.

Phạm Thị Thanh Trà, born in 1964 in Nghệ An Province, holds an advanced degree in political theory and a master’s in education management. A member of the 12th and 13th Party Central Committees and a deputy of the 15th National Assembly, she has served in multiple leadership roles in Yên Bái Province, including Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Council. She later became Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission and, in April 2021, was approved as Minister of Home Affairs — the first woman to hold that position since the ministry’s founding.

Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng, born in 1966 in Gia Lai Province, is a member of the 13th Party Central Committee with a master’s degree in law and an advanced degree in political theory. He previously served as Secretary of the Bình Định Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, and most recently as Secretary of the Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee.

With these approvals, Việt Nam’s Government now has nine Deputy Prime Ministers.

New Deputy Prime Ministers Hồ Quốc Dũng (left) and Phạm Thị Thanh Trà (right). VNA/VNS Photo

Three newly appointed ministers: Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trần Đức Thắng (left), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (centre), and Minister of Home Affairs Đỗ Thanh Bình (right). VNA/VNS Photo

The morning session, chaired by National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, was held privately to consider personnel matters. Deputies heard a report presented by Nguyễn Hữu Đông, Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Deputies Affairs, summarising opinions on various elections and appointments, including the election of committee chairs, the Secretary-General, and ratifications of the Prime Minister’s proposals on government positions.

Following an electronic vote, the National Assembly approved the election of Nguyễn Hữu Đông as a member of the Standing Committee of the 15th National Assembly; Nguyễn Thanh Hải as Chairwoman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment; and Lê Quang Mạnh as Secretary-General of the National Assembly and Chairman of the National Assembly Office.

A subsequent secret ballot was held to finalise the appointments. The National Assembly then voted electronically to pass resolutions confirming the results. All candidates received overwhelming support, with most votes exceeding 90 per cent approval.

The National Assembly also approved a resolution adding Đỗ Thanh Bình, Nguyễn Hữu Đông and Lê Quang Mạnh as members of the National Election Council.

In the afternoon, the Assembly’s committees continued working on their respective agendas. On October 27, deputies will meet in plenary to review and discuss several draft laws, including the Law on Temporary Detention, Custody and Restriction of Movement; the amended Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments; and amendments to the Law on Judicial Records, as well as deliberations on laws related to extradition, prisoner transfer and mutual legal assistance. — VNS