Lương Cường

Lương Cường (; born 15 August 1957) is a Vietnamese politician and former army general who served as the 14th president of Vietnam from October 2024 to April 2026. He also served as the permanent Member of the Secretariat since May 2024 to October 2024 and as director of the general department of politics of the People's Army of Vietnam from April 2016 to June 2024. As the country's head of state, Lương Cường was the second highest official in Vietnam after General Secretary Tô Lâm.

Biography He was born in Phú Thọ Province on 15 August 1957. He has a bachelor's degree in Party Building and State Administration, and a high level of political theory. During his work, he attended training courses for cadres at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and in China.

Career Cường joined the Vietnamese army at the age of 18 in 1976. He fought in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. He became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam in August 1978.

In August 1978, he was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam at the age of 21.

He has been a member of the Politburo since 2021, and a member of the Central Committee since 2011.

On December 19, 2014, he was promoted from Lieutenant General to General by President Trương Tấn Sang. Cường was previously vice director of the People's Army of Vietnam General Political Department from 2011 to 2016 where he became the director, and was promoted to the rank of four-star General in 2019.

On 16 May 2024, Cường was assigned by the Politburo to assume the position of Permanent Member of the Secretariat, the fifth-highest ranking position in Vietnam's political system, following the resignation of Trương Thị Mai.

Presidency (2024–2026) On 26 August 2024, General Secretary Tô Lâm resigned from the presidency shortly after his election as the new general secretary earlier that month following Nguyễn Phú Trọng's death in July. On 21 October, at the eighth session of the 15th National Assembly, Cường was elected to the presidency with 440/440 attending National Assembly delegates in favor (reaching 91.67% of the total number of National Assembly delegates). He was subsequently inaugurated as president for the remainder of the 2021–2026 term, the fourth of this term.

In his inaugural speech, Cường declared his commitment to maintaining and enhancing high unity and solidarity within the Party; building a clean and strong Socialist rule-of-law state; strengthening national defense and security; and consistently pursuing an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, and friendly foreign policy. On the morning of 22 October 2024, the handover ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace. At the ceremony, Tô Lâm officially handed over the presidential duties to Cường and requested relevant agencies to report specific tasks, review work plans, and coordinate internal and external affairs with the new president. On 7 April 2026, his presidential term expired, and was succeeded by Tô Lâm, who was elected to a full term.

Foreign affairs

On 10 November 2024, Cường began a three-day visit to Chile, his first overseas visit since becoming president. He arrived in Santiago to meet President Gabriel Boric. Before that, he visited the home of the late president Salvador Allende and met with members of Allende's family.

On 13 November, Cường arrived in Lima in Peru to participate in the APEC Summit. He was awarded the Order of the Sun of Peru by Peruvian president Dina Boluarte. He also met with many other world leaders during the summit.

Rank

Major General (2004) Lieutenant General (2009) Colonel General (2014) Army General (2019)

Honours National awards

Foreign awards