Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the National Defence and Security Council. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the National Defence and Security Council.

The announcement was made on Wednesday after the 16th National Assembly’s first session approved a resolution endorsing the State President’s nominations for the Deputy Chairman and members of the council.

Electronic voting results showed all 480 NA deputies present voted in favour, accounting for 100 per cent of those in attendance and 96 per cent of the full membership.

Members of the National Defence and Security Council comprise National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn; General Phan Văn Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence; General Lương Tam Quang, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security; and Lê Hoài Trung, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Under the Constitution, the State President serves as Commander-in-Chief of the people’s armed forces and chairs the National Defence and Security Council.

The council comprises a chairman, a vice chairman and members, whose appointments are subject to National Assembly approval upon nomination by the President.

It operates on a collective basis and takes decisions by majority vote.

The council is responsible for submitting proposals to the National Assembly on matters such as a declaration of war; in cases where the legislature cannot convene, such decisions are referred to the National Assembly Standing Committee. It is also tasked with mobilising all national resources to safeguard the country.

In wartime, the council exercises special powers assigned by the National Assembly and decides on the participation of the people’s armed forces in international activities aimed at maintaining regional and global peace.

On Tuesday, Hưng was elected by the National Assembly as Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam for the 2026-31 term.

Born in 1970, Lê Minh Hưng hails from Tứ Mỹ Commune in the central province of Hà Tĩnh.

He holds an advanced qualification in political theory, a Master’s degree in Public Policy, a university degree in the same field, and a Bachelor’s degree in French.

He has served as a member of the Party Central Committee across the 12th, 13th and 14th terms; as Secretary of the Party Central Committee during the 13th and 14th terms; as a Politburo member in the 13th and 14th terms; and as a deputy to the 15th and 16th legislatures. — VNS