Minister of Defence (Vietnam)

Position in the government of Viet Nam

Minister of National Defence

Bộ trưởng Bộ Quốc phòng

Emblem of Vietnam with the MOD's banner

Incumbent
Phan Văn Giang

since 8 April 2021

Ministry of Defence
Style| His Excellency
Member of| Cabinet
Reports to| The President
The Prime Minister
Appointer| The President
with CPV Politburo introduction, advice and consent
Term length| No fixed term
Formation| 8 May 1945
First holder| Chu Văn Tấn
Deputy| Vice Minister of Defence
Website| www.mod.gov.vn

The Minister of National Defence (Defence Minister; Vietnamese: Bộ trưởng Bộ Quốc phòng, lit. 'Minister of the Ministry of National Defence') is the Government of Vietnam member in charge of the Ministry of National Defence. The Minister is responsible for the formal executive management functions of state for defense. By Vietnamese politics' design, the assigned Defence Minister also automatically assumes the positions of Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission (CMC), member of the Politburo and member of the Council for National Defense and Security, by that the Defence Minister is practically the highest-ranking military officer - who always keeps the rank of army general \- and politically the second-highest leader of the Vietnam People’s Army as well as the Militia and Self-Defence Force, just under the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam \- who serves ex officio as the Secretary of the Central Military Commission. The current Defence Minister is Army General Phan Văn Giang, since 8 April 2021.

## Chain of command

[edit]

* General Secretary of the Communist Party (ex officio Secretary of the CMC)
* President (nominal Commander-in-chief of the People's Armed Forces)
* Prime Minister
* Minister of Defence (ex officio Deputy Secretary of the CMC)
* Chief of the General Political Department
* Chief of the General Staff (ex officio Deputy Defence Minister)
* Deputy Ministers of Defence

## Lists of Ministers of Defence

[edit]

No.
[note 1] | Portrait  | Name
(birth–death)  | Took office  | Left office  | Rank
[note 2] | Prime Minister

|
|
|
|
|
|

Minister of Defence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
(1945 – 76)
1  |

| Chu Văn Tấn
(1909–1984)  | May 8, 1945  | March 1946  |

| Ho Chi Minh
2  |  | Phan Anh
(1912–1989)  | March 1946  | May 11, 1946  |

3  |  | Võ Nguyên Giáp
(1911–2013)  | May 11, 1946  | May 8, 1947  |

4  |  | Tạ Quang Bửu
(1910–1986)  | May 8, 1947  | May 8, 1948  |

3  |  | Võ Nguyên Giáp
(1911–2013)  | May 8, 1948  | July 2, 1976  | 5
Phạm Văn Đồng

Minister of Defence of the Republic of South Vietnam
(1969 – 76)

| Trần Nam Trung
(1912–2009)  | June 8, 1969  | July 2, 1976  |

| Huỳnh Tấn Phát
Minister of Defence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
(1976 – present)
1  |  | Võ Nguyên Giáp
(1911–2013)  | July 2, 1976  | February 1980  | 4 | Phạm Văn Đồng
2  |  | Văn Tiến Dũng
(1917–2002)  | February 1980  | February 16, 1987  | 6

3  |  | Lê Đức Anh
(1920–2019)  | February 16, 1987  | August 8, 1992  | 6 | Phạm Văn Đồng
Phạm Hùng
Đỗ Mười
4  |  | Đoàn Khuê
(1922–1999)  | August 8, 1992  | December 29, 1997  | 5 | Đỗ Mười
Võ Văn Kiệt

5  |  | Phạm Văn Trà
(born 1935)  | December 29, 1997  | June 28, 2006  | 5 | Phan Văn Khải

6  |  | Phùng Quang Thanh
(1949-2021)  | June 28, 2006  | April 8, 2016  | 8 | Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

7  |  | Ngô Xuân Lịch
(born 1954)  | April 9, 2016  | April 7, 2021  |

| Nguyễn Xuân Phúc

8  |  | Phan Văn Giang
(born 1960)  | April 8, 2021  | Incumbent  |

| Phạm Minh Chính

## See also

[edit]

* Prime Minister of Vietnam
* Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ These numbers are not official.
2. ^ The Central Committee when it convenes for its first session after being elected by a National Party Congress elects the Politburo. The Politburo members are ranked in an official order of precedence every time the body is elected by the Central Committee.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Van & Cooper 1983, p. 69.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Van, Canh Nguyen; Cooper, Earle (1983). Vietnam under Communism, 1975–1982. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817978518.

* v
* t
* e

Vietnamese ministers of defence

* Chu Văn Tấn (1945–46)
* Phan Anh (1946)
* Võ Nguyên Giáp (1946–47)
* Tạ Quang Bửu (1947–48)
* Võ Nguyên Giáp (1948–76)
* Trần Nam Trung (1969–76)
* Võ Nguyên Giáp (1976–80)
* Văn Tiến Dũng (1980–87)
* Lê Đức Anh (1987–92)
* Đoàn Khuê (1992–97)
* Phạm Văn Trà (1997–2006)
* Phùng Quang Thanh (2006–2016)
* Ngô Xuân Lịch (2016–21)
* Phan Văn Giang (2021–present)

* v
* t
* e

Vietnam People's Army

General|

* Ministry of National Defence
* Minister
* Vietnam People's Army
* General Staff
* Chief
* General Political Department

Services & Arms|

* Ground Forces
* Navy
* Air Defence - Air Force
* Border Guard
* Coast Guard
* Special Operation Force
* Engineering
* Chemical
* Amour - Tank
* Signal
* Artillery

Military regions|

| Active|

* 1st
* 2nd
* 3rd
* 4th
* 5th
* 7th
* 9th
* High Command of Capital Hanoi

|

Former|

* 6th
* 8th

Army corps|

| Active|

* 12th
* 34th

|

Former|

* 1st
* 2nd
* 3rd
* 4th

Others|

* General Engineering Department
* General Logistics Department
* General Department of Defence Industry
* General Department of Defence Intelligence
* Equipment
* Ground Forces
* Navy
* Air Force

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