Vietnam Appoints 32 Deputy Ministers Across 10 Ministries; The Communist Magazine has a New Editor-in-Chief

Huỳnh Kha wrote this Vietnamese article, published in Luat Khoa Magazine on Mar. 3, 2025. Thúc Kháng translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.

From Feb. 24, 2025, to Mar. 2, 2025, sweeping organizational changes were made within the Vietnamese government, highlighted by the appointment of 32 new deputy ministers across 10 government ministries.

The Appointment of 32 Deputy Ministers Across 10 Ministries

On Feb. 6, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly approved Resolution 1402, allowing for an increase of deputy ministers and deputy heads in ministries and governmental agencies. Based on this resolution, the Prime Minister approved numerous appointments and transfers of deputy ministers across various organizations. Here are the specifics:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (3 new appointees): Nguyen Manh Cuong, Le Anh Tuan, and Ngo Le Van.

Their appointments bring this institution's total number of deputy ministers to seven. The four others are Nguyen Minh Vu — the permanent deputy minister —Le Thi Thu Hang, Do Hung Viet, and Nguyen Minh Hang.

Bui Thanh Son, Vietnam’s current Deputy Prime Minister, is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Ministry of Home Affairs (4 new appointees): Four officials have been transferred from the now defunct Ministry of Labor, Invalid, and Social Affairs to serve as deputy ministers in the Ministry of Home Affairs: Le Van Thanh, Nguyen Van Hoi, Nguyen Ba Hoan, and Nguyen Thi Ha.

Their appointments bring this institution's total number of deputy ministers to seven. The three others are Vu Chien Thang, Truong Hai Long, and Cao Huy.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Tra continues to be the Minister of Home Affairs.

Ministry of Science and Technology (2 new appointees): Two new deputy ministers have been appointed to this ministry: Bui Hoang Phuong and Pham Duc Long. Both come from the Ministry of Information and Communications following its merger.

Their appointments bring the total number of deputy ministers in this ministry to five, including Bui The Duy and Le Xuan Dinh.

Nguyen Manh Hung, the former Minister of Information and Communications, is now the Minister of Science and Technology.

Ministry of Education and Training (1 new appointee): Le Tan Dung — the former Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs — has been appointed as Deputy Minister of Education and Training.

The Ministry of Education and Training's current leadership includes Minister Nguyen Kim Son and deputy ministers Nguyen Van Phuc, Pham Ngoc Thuong, Hoang Minh Son, Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, and new appointee Le Tan Dung.

Ministry of Construction (3 new appointees): Following the merger with the now-defunct Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Construction has three newly appointed deputy ministers: Pham Minh Ha, Nguyen Viet Hung, and Nguyen Tuong Van.

Their appointments bring this agency's total number of deputy ministers to eight, including Nguyen Van Sinh, Bui Xuan Dung, Nguyen Xuan Sang, Nguyen Danh Huy, and Le Anh Tuan.

The current Minister of Construction is Tran Hong Minh.

Ministry of Finance (5 new appointees): Five new deputy ministers have been added to the Ministry of Finance. Four appointees — Nguyen Duc Tam, Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Tran Quoc Phuong, and Do Thanh Trung — were transferred from the former Ministry of Planning and Investment. The current Vice Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee, Ho Sy Hung, now serves as the fifth new deputy minister.

Their inclusion in the Ministry of Finance brings the total number of deputy ministers to nine, including Nguyen Duc Chi, Cao Anh Tuan, Le Tan Can, and Bui Van Khang. Nguyen Van Thang currently heads the Ministry of Finance.

Ministry of Justice (1 new appointee): Nguyen Thanh Ngoc, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tay Ninh Province, has been appointed Deputy Minister of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice's current leadership includes Minister Nguyen Hai Ninh and deputy ministers Nguyen Thanh Tinh, Mai Luong Khoi, Dang Hoang Oanh, and the newly appointed Nguyen Thanh Ngoc.

Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (2 new appointees): Le Hai Binh, the former Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Magazine, has been appointed as Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The other recently appointed deputy minister is Phan Tam, the former Deputy Minister of Information and Communications.

The Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism currently has six deputy ministers: Trinh Thi Thuy, Ta Quang Dong, Hoang Dao Cuong, and Ho An Phong, along with the new appointees Phan Tam and Le Hai Binh.

Nguyen Van Hung heads the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (10 new appointees): Ten deputy ministers have been appointed to the newly established Ministry of Agriculture and Environment: Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Tran Thanh Nam, Phung Duc Tien, Nguyen Quoc Tri, Vo Van Hung, Le Minh Ngan, Tran Quy Kien, Le Cong Thanh, Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa, and Hoang Trung.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment was just established after the merger of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Do Duc Duy heads the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion (1 new appointee): The Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion was established by merging the Ethnic Affairs Committee with the religious management functions from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Dao Ngoc Dung, the former Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, heads the Ministry. The deputy ministers include Y Vinh Tơr, Y Thong, Nong Thi Ha, and Major General Nguyen Hai Trung — the Director of the Hanoi City Police.

Following the reorganization, the Vietnamese government now consists of 17 ministries and governmental agencies: the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Industry and Trade; the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; the Ministry of Construction; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of Science and Technology; the Ministry of Education and Training; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion; the State Bank of Vietnam; the Government Inspectorate; and the Government Office.

Ha Tinh Province Has A New Party Secretary

The Politburo also appointed former Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam Secretary of the Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee for the 2020-2025 term and added him to the Military Region 4 Party Committee.

Originally from Thai Nguyen Province, Nguyen Duy Lam holds a master’s degree in engineering and worked as a civil engineer specializing in bridge and tunnel construction. Before his appointment as Secretary of the Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee, he held many significant positions in the transportation sector.

In Binh Thuan Province, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Do Huu Huy, was elected as Chairman of the People’s Committee on Feb. 26, 2025.

Do Huu Duy, hailing from Hai Phong Province, is a telecommunications engineer and holds a master’s degree in economic management. Before his service in Binh Thuan, he held various positions in the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the State Capital Management Committee.

The Communist Magazine Has A New Editor-in-Chief

On Feb. 28, 2025, the Secretary of the Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee, Hoang Trung Dung, was appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of Tạp chí Cộng sản (The Communist Magazine) — the official publication of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party.

Originally from Ha Tinh Province, Hoang Trung Dung holds a PhD in Political Science, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Advanced Political Theory. He has previously held several significant positions in Ha Tinh, including Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council, and Head of the Provincial Delegation of the National Assembly.

New Appointments in the Military and Police

On Feb. 24, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh appointed several generals in the military.

Accordingly, Major General Le Ngoc Hai, the former Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of Military Region 5, has been appointed as the new Commander of Military Region 5.

Major General Tran Vinh Ngoc, the former Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 7, has also been promoted to the Political Commissar of Military Region 7.

Major General Nguyen Duc Hung, the former Political Commissar of Division 12, has been transferred to serve as the Political Commissar of Military Region 3.

In the police force, Colonel Vu Van Tan, the former Deputy Director of the Department of Administrative Management on Social Order, has been promoted to the Department’s Director effective Feb. 25, 2025.

On the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh appointed Lieutenant General Nguyen Ngoc Toan — the Department of Party Work and Political Work Director at the Ministry of Public Security — as an assistant to the Minister of Public Security, Luong Tam Quang.

On Feb. 28, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security established the National Aviation Security Center and appointed Colonel Pham Hoang Hiẹp, the Deputy Director of Tuyen Quang Provincial Police, as its Director. Following the mass government reorganization, the police have taken over the responsibility of aviation security from the Ministry of Transport.

Major General Nguyen Thanh Tung, the former Deputy Director of Hanoi City Police, was promoted to the Director of Hanoi City Police on March 1, 2025. He succeeds Major General Nguyen Hai Trung, who has been reassigned to the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion.

Other Personnel Changes

On Feb. 25, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reassigned and appointed Nguyen Ngoc Canh, the Deputy Chairman of the State Management Committee, as Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam.

On Feb. 27, 2025, Nguyen Thanh Tam, the Secretary of the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council, was appointed as Deputy Head of the Central Organization Committee.