Tô Lâm
Tô Lâm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lâm in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 18 July 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nguyễn Phú Trọng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 3 August 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Phan Văn Giang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nguyễn Phú Trọng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th President of Vietnam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 23 May 2024 – 21 October 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Phạm Minh Chính | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice President | Võ Thị Ánh Xuân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Võ Văn Thưởng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lương Cường | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 July 1957 Văn Giang, Hưng Yên, North Vietnam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Communist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Ngô Phương Ly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | Vietnam People's Security Academy Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Military Exploit Order | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Vietnam People's Public Security | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1974–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Police general | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tô Lâm (Vietnamese: [tō lʌ̄m] ⓘ; born 10 July 1957) is a Vietnamese politician and former police officer who has served as the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since August 2024 and the 13th president of Vietnam from May to October 2024. A veteran of the People's Public Security Forces with over 40 years of service, Lâm rose through the ranks to become Minister of Public Security in 2016, a position he held until his election to the presidency in 2024.
Lâm became a member of the CPV on 22 August 1981. A graduate of the Central Police School and the Vietnam People's Security Academy, he spent his entire career in the police force. He holds the rank of four-star General in the Vietnam People's Public Security. He previously served as Head of the Central Highlands Steering Committee, Deputy Minister of Public Security, and Director-General of the MPS First General Department of Security. He has been a member of the CPV Central Committee since 2011 and a member of the CPV Politburo since 2016.
Lâm participated in the 2016 anti-corruption campaign launched by his predecessor, General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, which implicated some officials to a degree unprecedented in Vietnamese political history. Since Trọng's death in July 2024, Lâm has run the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption and the Central Military Commission. Lâm is alleged to have led a campaign against dissidents, suppressed civil society organizations, and tightened internet censorship. Since beginning his tenure as general secretary, Lâm has pursued administrative and bureaucratic restructuring.
On 18 May 2024, he was nominated by the CPV Central Committee to become Vietnam's 13th president, succeeding Võ Văn Thưởng, who resigned in March 2024 due to the anti-corruption campaign. The National Assembly relieved Lâm of his ministerial post before the presidential election, and his protége Lương Tam Quang was appointed public security minister in June 2024. On 3 August 2024, following the death of Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Lâm was elected CPV General Secretary and Secretary of the Central Military Commission by the 13th Central Committee. On 23 January 2026, Lâm was reelected General Secretary by the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.