Unprecedented consolidation: In a major consolidation of power, Việt Nam’s National Assembly has elected General Secretary Tô Lâm as state president. This is the first time in Việt Nam that a party chief has been simultaneously elected as president at the start of a new term.
Event timeline: On the morning of April 7, during the second working day of the first session of the 16th National Assembly, lawmakers elected Tô Lâm as state president by secret ballot, with 100% of attending deputies voting in favor.
Following the vote, his inauguration ceremony was broadcast live on Vietnam Television (VTV1) later that same morning.
This event follows the 14th Congress of the Communist Party held in January; he was re-elected as General Secretary under a “special case,” while former President Lương Cường failed to secure a seat on the 14th Central Committee.
In March, Tô Lâm was also elected as a deputy to the 16th National Assembly, defeating two female ward-level officials in his electoral unit.
Key point: Holding both the party chief and head of state positions from the start of a term is entirely without precedent.
Historically, such power consolidation only occurred under exceptional circumstances, such as when there were sudden vacancies or major challenges to the Communist Party.
For instance, Nguyễn Phú Trọng was elected president on Oct. 23, 2018, after President Trần Đại Quang died unexpectedly in September 2018.
Trường Chinh also concurrently held the roles of General Secretary and chairman of the Council of State from July to December 1986 following the death of General Secretary Lê Duẩn.
Hồ Chí Minh, likewise, held overlapping roles—from October 1956 to September 1960—as president, party chairman, and general secretary after Trường Chinh was ousted mid-term over failures in land reform.
Tô Lâm himself briefly held both positions from August to October 2025, following the death of Nguyễn Phú Trọng, before transferring the presidency to Lương Cường.
Expanding role: In Việt Nam, the presidency is largely a ceremonial head of state role.
After stepping down as president to assume the role of General Secretary, Tô Lâm continued to encroach on the presidential domain held by Lương Cường.
Domestically, he awarded the Gold Star Order to former General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh and former Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng on Jan. 20, 2025.
On March 30, he again represented the state in awarding the Military Exploit Order to Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Hòa Bình, and others.
In foreign affairs, he has personally led overseas visits and signed multiple agreements to upgrade diplomatic relations.
Context: Hours after the conclusion of the 15th Central Committee plenum on Dec. 23, 2025, Bloomberg reported that Tô Lâm had been nominated to serve concurrently as general secretary and president for the upcoming term.
As of 12:00 p.m. Việt Nam time on April 6, betting odds on Polymarket placed his chances of becoming president at 97%, up from 91% recorded at 3:00 p.m. on March 18.
Lê Sáng wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on April 7, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.
