Top 11 General Secretaries of the Communist Party of Vietnam through history.

Nguyễn Văn Cừ (July 9, 1912 - August 28, 1941) was the fourth General Secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party from 1938 to 1940. He was also the 17th descendant of Nguyễn Trãi. Born into a Confucian family in Phù Khê, Bắc Ninh Province, he became involved in the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League in 1927. In June 1929, he joined the first Indochinese Communist Party cell in Hanoi. In 1930, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Hong Gai-Uong Bi special zone. After being arrested by the French, he was sentenced to hard labor and exiled to Con Dao.

Trường Chinh (1907-1988), born Đặng Xuân Khu, was a Vietnamese politician widely regarded as the second President of Vietnam, serving as the Chairman of the State Council from 1981 to 1987 (equivalent to the current President). He also held significant roles in the political system, including the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (first term: 1941-1956, second term: 1986), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly (1960-1975), and Chairman of the National Assembly (Sessions V and VI). Additionally, he was a poet under the pen name Sóng Hồng.

In 1958, Trường Chinh was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Science Committee. By 1960, he was re-elected to the Central Committee and Politburo, overseeing National Assembly affairs and party theory. He was elected Chairman of the National Assembly in 1960, a position he held until 1981 when he became the Chairman of the State Council and the Chairman of the National Defense Council of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

In May 1986, Trường Chinh took on the role of acting General Secretary when Lê Duẩn fell ill. On July 14, 1986, during a special Central Committee meeting, he was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, replacing the recently deceased Lê Duẩn. However, he held this post for only five months. In December 1986, during the 6th Congress of the Party, he stepped down from major party and state positions and was appointed Senior Advisor to the Central Committee and Vice Chair of the drafting committee for the party's political platform and economic strategy.

Trường Chinh was awarded the Golden Star Medal and numerous other honors. He passed away on September 30, 1988, at the age of 81 after a fall.

Lê Duẩn (1907–1986) served as the First Secretary of the Vietnam Workers' Party from 1960 to 1976 and as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1976 to 1986. He holds the record for the longest tenure as General Secretary of the Communist Party, serving for 25 years and 303 days. During his time in power, from 1960 until his death in 1986, he was one of the most influential political figures in Vietnam, regarded by some as the country's most powerful leader during the reunification period.

Lê Duẩn was a central figure in the Vietnam War, a protracted conflict that spanned two decades, primarily against the United States and its allies. He devised the revolutionary strategy for South Vietnam, outlined in the “Outline for the Southern Revolution,” which catalyzed a wave of anti-American movements in the region. This paved the way for the Southern Liberation Army and the Vietnam People's Army to take control of Saigon in 1975, bringing the war to a close. He later continued to lead the country through the border wars with China and Cambodia (against the Khmer Rouge).

In 1937, he became Secretary of the Central Party Committee in the Central Region. In 1940, he was captured by the enemy and sentenced to 10 years in prison. By 1946, he moved to Hanoi and was appointed to lead the Southern resistance in the latter part of the same year.

From 1954 to 1957, Lê Duẩn remained in the South, leading the revolutionary movement. In 1957, he was reassigned to central leadership. At the Third National Congress of the Party in 1960, he was elected First Secretary of the Vietnam Workers' Party. In 1978, he was appointed Secretary of the Central Military Commission.

At the Fourth National Congress of the Party in December 1976, he was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He was re-elected in March 1982 at the Fifth National Congress.

Lê Duẩn passed away on July 10, 1986, and was posthumously honored with the Golden Star Medal and other prestigious awards.

Nguyễn Văn Linh (born Nguyễn Văn Cúc on July 1, 1915) was born in Gia Pham village, Yen My district, Hung Yen province. In 1929, he joined a student organization led by the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association. On May 1, 1930, he was arrested by the French colonial authorities, sentenced to life imprisonment, and exiled to Con Dao. In 1936, he was released from prison and joined the Indochinese Communist Party, initially working in Hai Phong and Hanoi. That same year, he became a member of the Party’s Executive Committee in Saigon before being sent to the Central Region to reorganize the local Party structures. In 1941, Nguyễn Văn Linh was arrested again in Vinh, sentenced to five years in prison, and exiled to Con Dao once more.

In 1945, he became active in Southern Vietnam, particularly in Saigon-Cholon, where he served as Secretary of the City Party Committee and the special zone of Saigon-Cholon. From 1949 to 1960, he was a member of the Southern Party Executive Committee and later became acting Secretary of the Southern Party’s Central Bureau. At the Third National Party Congress in 1960, he was elected to the Party Central Committee and became Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Southern Central Bureau.

In 1976, he took the position of Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. In December of the same year, at the Fourth National Congress, Nguyễn Văn Linh was elected to the Party Central Committee, became a member of the Politburo, and was appointed Head of the Socialist Reconstruction Committee, as well as Head of the United Front and Mass Mobilization Committee, and President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour until 1980.

In 1981, Nguyễn Văn Linh returned to serve as Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. In 1982, he was again elected to the Party Central Committee at the Fifth National Congress. By 1985, he was appointed to the Politburo and continued his leadership as Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

In December 1986, at the Sixth National Party Congress, Nguyễn Văn Linh was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, a position he held alongside his role as Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee (from 1987).

At the Seventh National Party Congress (June 1991) and the Eighth Congress (July 1996), Nguyễn Văn Linh was honored as a senior advisor to the Party Central Committee.

Nguyễn Văn Linh passed away on April 27, 1998, leaving behind a deep sense of loss for the Party, the army, and the people of Vietnam. He was posthumously awarded the Golden Star Medal and many other distinguished honors.

Đỗ Mười (born February 2, 1917 – October 1, 2018), originally named Nguyễn Duy Cống, served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from June 1991 to December 1997 and the third Prime Minister of Vietnam from June 1988 to July 1991.

In 1945, he escaped prison and joined the provincial uprising committee in Ha Dong. After the August Revolution, he became the Secretary of Ha Dong Province Party Committee. He later held various positions including Secretary of Ha Nam Province, Chairman of the Nam Dinh Resistance Committee, and later as the Secretary of Ninh Binh Province and political officer of the 3rd Region.

After the First Indochina War ended in 1954, Đỗ Mười took on the role of Secretary of Hai Phong City Party Committee and Chairman of the City’s Military Committee. In March 1955, he was appointed as a member of the Communist Party Central Committee (alternating member). At the Third National Congress in 1960, he was elected to the Party Central Committee. Between 1956-1973, he held various ministerial roles, including Deputy Minister, Minister of Trade, Chairman of the State Pricing Committee, Head of the Government Inspectorate, Deputy Prime Minister, and later as Minister of Construction.

After the reunification of Vietnam, in December 1976, he was re-elected to the Party Central Committee at the Fourth National Congress and appointed as an alternate member of the Politburo. He continued as Deputy Prime Minister. In July 1981, Đỗ Mười became the Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers. By March 1982, at the Fifth National Congress, he was promoted to a full member of the Politburo. By 1986, at the Sixth National Congress, he was elected to the Politburo and appointed the permanent head of the Party Secretariat, before being elected Prime Minister in June 1986.

At the Seventh National Congress in June 1991, Đỗ Mười was re-elected to the Party Central Committee and promoted to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. In June 1996, at the Eighth Congress, he was re-elected for another term as General Secretary.

In December 1997, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee, Đỗ Mười was appointed as an advisor to the Party Central Committee.

Đỗ Mười passed away at 11:12 PM on October 1, 2018, at the Central Military Hospital 108, after a period of serious illness. Despite extensive medical care and efforts from both domestic and international doctors, his age and frailty led to his passing. His contributions to Vietnam were honored posthumously, and he is remembered for his leadership and commitment to the country.

Lê Khả Phiêu (born 1931) was a distinguished Vietnamese politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from December 1997 to April 2001. He also held several key positions, including a member of the Politburo, standing member of the Politburo Secretariat, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Head of the Party’s Internal Political Protection Committee. In the military, he rose to the rank of General, holding the positions of Deputy Chief and then Chief of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army.

In 1945, Lê Khả Phiêu joined the Viet Minh movement in his locality and became a member of the Indochinese Communist Party on June 19, 1949. He joined the military on May 1, 1950, beginning his career as a soldier and gradually rising through the ranks to become Political Commissar of the 66th Regiment, 304th Division. From September 1954 to 1958, he held various roles including Deputy Political Commissar and Political Commissar of the battalion, and Political Director of the regiment.

Between 1961 and 1966, he served as the Deputy Head and later Head of the Personnel Department for the 304th Division. He continued to advance in rank, eventually becoming the political commissar and commander of the 9th Regiment in the 304th Division. In 1967, he was deployed to the Trị Thiên battlefield as the political commissar of the 9th Regiment and later took on additional leadership roles within the region.

In 1970, he became the Deputy Chief Political Officer for the Trị Thiên Military Region, and by 1974, he was promoted to Colonel and appointed Chief Political Officer for the newly formed 2nd Army Corps.

By 1978, he became the Deputy Political Commissar and Political Chief of the 9th Military Region and was also appointed the civilian position of Deputy Secretary of the Region IX Party Committee. In 1984, he was promoted to Major General and served as the Head of the Political Department for the Vietnam Volunteer Army in Cambodia (Codename: Front 719).

After Vietnam’s withdrawal from Cambodia in 1988, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and returned to serve as the Deputy Chief of the General Political Department. In 1991, he became the Chief of the General Political Department, and in 1992, he was promoted to General in the Vietnam People's Army.

Nông Đức Mạnh (born September 11, 1940) is a prominent Vietnamese political figure who served as the President of the National Assembly from 1992 to 2001 and as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2001 to 2011.

From 1958 to 1961, he studied at a central agricultural and forestry school. In 1962-1963, he worked as a forestry laborer and a technician for the North Bac Kan Forestry Department. Between 1963 and 1965, he served as the Deputy Head of the timber extraction team in Bạch Thông. He also studied Russian at the Hanoi Foreign Languages School from 1965-1966 and later attended the Leningrad Forestry Institute in the Soviet Union from 1966 to 1971.

Upon returning to Vietnam in 1972, he became the Deputy Head of the Forestry Inspection Department in Bac Thai Province (now split into Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen provinces). In 1973-1974, he served as the Director of the Phu Luong Forest Enterprise in Bac Thai. He then studied at the Nguyen Ai Quoc Party School from 1974 to 1976.

From 1976 to 1980, he worked in Bac Thai, holding various roles, including Provincial Party Member, Deputy Director of the Forestry Department, and later Head of the Provincial Forestry Department. In 1980-1983, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and from 1984 to 1986, he became the Deputy Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. From November 1986 to February 1989, he was the Provincial Party Secretary of Bac Thai.

During the 6th Party Congress, Nông Đức Mạnh was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee. In March 1989, he was appointed Head of the Central Ethnic Affairs Department. By November 1989, he was elected to the 8th National Assembly and became Vice Chairman of the Nationalities Council of the National Assembly.

At the 7th Party Congress, he was elected to the Central Committee and Politburo. In September 1992, he was appointed Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam's 9th term. At the 8th Party Congress, he was reelected to the Central Committee and Politburo.

In September 1997, Nông Đức Mạnh became Chairman of the 10th National Assembly and was later appointed a permanent member of the Politburo in January 1998. At the 9th Party Congress in April 2001, he was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He was reelected for a second term at the 10th Party Congress in 2006.

Nguyễn Phú Trọng (born April 14, 1944) is the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, member of the Central Public Security Party Committee, and Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption. He is also a representative of the 14th National Assembly (2016–2021) from Hanoi. He previously served as the Chairman of the National Assembly from 2006 to 2011 and has been a member of the National Assembly since its 11th term in 2002, continuing through the 14th term. In 1983, he earned a PhD in History from the Soviet Union and was later appointed as a professor by the Vietnamese government in 2002.

In 1967, Nguyễn Phú Trọng became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He worked for the Learning Journal (predecessor of the Communist Party's official journal, Cộng Sản), one of the Party's most significant and influential propaganda outlets alongside the newspapers Nhân Dân and Quân Đội Nhân Dân.

In August 1983, he returned to Vietnam from the Soviet Union, after completing his PhD in Political Science at the Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow. He resumed work at the Communist Party's Building Department and rapidly climbed the ranks, becoming Deputy Director in October 1983, Director in September 1987, Editorial Board Member in March 1989, Deputy Editor-in-Chief in May 1990, and Editor-in-Chief in August 1991.

During the mid-term Party Congress in January 1994, he was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. In August 1996, he became the Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, in charge of education and propaganda work. In 1998, he took on the responsibility of the Party's cultural and ideological work and served as the Deputy Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council. He also became Vice-Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University.

From August 1999 to the conclusion of the 8th Party Congress, he was a Standing Member of the Politburo and directly oversaw the compilation of documents for the 9th Party Congress. In January 2000, he became the Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, and in November 2001, he was also appointed Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, where he was responsible for the Party's theoretical work. He played a key role in the preparation of the 10th Party Congress documents in 2003.

On June 26, 2006, Nguyễn Phú Trọng became the Chairman of the National Assembly for the 11th term, succeeding Nguyễn Văn An. He was reelected as Chairman of the National Assembly in 2007. At the 11th Party Congress in 2011, he was elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, a position he has held since then.

At the 12th Party Congress in 2016, Nguyễn Phú Trọng was re-elected as General Secretary. In 2016, during his election campaign for the 14th National Assembly, he emphasized prioritizing economic development with a focus on prosperity and stability. He was elected with 86.47% of valid votes in Hanoi's electoral district.

On October 3, 2018, after the sudden passing of President Trần Đại Quang, Nguyễn Phú Trọng was nominated to become the President of Vietnam. On October 23, 2018, the National Assembly officially elected him as President, marking the first time a single individual held both the positions of General Secretary and President. On December 28, 2018, he was appointed as the Honorary President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society.

Trần Phú was born on May 1, 1904, in An Thổ, Tuy An District, Phú Yên Province (now An Dân Commune, Tuy An District, Phú Yên). His father, Trần Văn Phố, was a teacher. Trần Phú graduated from secondary school in 1922 and in 1925, he joined the Hội Phục Việt (Revival Association). In July 1926, he was sent to Guangzhou to meet with leaders of the Vietnam Youth Revolutionary League to discuss uniting the Youth League with the Tân Việt Party. During this trip, he met Nguyễn Ái Quốc (Ho Chi Minh), who trained him in Marxism-Leninism and taught him about the experience of the Russian October Revolution.

In 1927, Trần Phú traveled to the Soviet Union to study at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East in Moscow. In 1928, he attended the Sixth Congress of the Communist International. On October 11, 1929, a court in Nghệ An Province held a trial in absentia for several members of the Indochinese Communist Party, with Trần Phú among the accused.

In April 1930, Trần Phú returned to Vietnam, where he was added to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indochina and tasked with drafting the Party's Political Program. This program was approved by the First Central Committee Conference held in Hong Kong in October 1930. At this conference, Trần Phú was appointed as the General Secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party.

After the conference, he returned to Vietnam to organize and lead the national revolutionary movement. In March 1931, he chaired the Second Central Committee Conference to combat deviations within the Party and proposed gathering mass organizations such as trade unions, peasant associations, women’s groups, and youth organizations to push the revolution forward.

In April 1931, Trần Phú was arrested by the French on Champane Street in Saigon. He was sentenced to death and executed on September 6, 1931.

Lê Hồng Phong (1902–1942) was a prominent Vietnamese revolutionary leader. He served as the second General Secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party from 1935 to 1936. His wife, Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, was also an important figure in the Party's early years.

In January 1924, Lê Hồng Phong, along with ten other young men, traveled to Guangzhou, China. There, he met Nguyễn Ái Quốc (Ho Chi Minh) and joined the revolutionary organization Tâm Tâm Xã (also known as the New Viet Youth League).

In the summer of 1925, he, along with Lê Hồng Sơn and Lê Quang Đạt, enrolled at the Huangpu Military Academy. A year later, he was sent to the Guangzhou Air Force School, where in February 1926, thanks to Nguyễn Ái Quốc’s recommendation, he became a member of the Communist Party of China.

In late 1931, under the alias Vương Nhật Dân, he returned to China to continue his revolutionary work. Meanwhile, communist organizations within Vietnam were being heavily suppressed by the colonial government. In 1932, under the direction of the Communist International, Lê Hồng Phong and his comrades worked to re-establish contact with the Party in Vietnam, aiming to revive the movement and draft a new action plan for the Party after its significant losses.

In June 1932, the Indochinese Communist Party adopted a new action plan that was approved by the Communist International. In March 1934, the Party's Overseas Command was established in Macau, where Lê Hồng Phong served as its secretary. With the domestic Party leadership incapacitated, this body also functioned as the provisional Central Committee, working to liaise with the Communist International and other communist parties, reorganizing the Party’s work and preparing for the First Party Congress.

From June 16 to 21, 1934, a conference between the Overseas Command of the Indochinese Communist Party and representatives of domestic Party organizations was held. This meeting included Lê Hồng Phong, Hà Huy Tập, Nguyễn Văn Dựt, Nguyễn Văn Tham, and Trần Văn Chấn. It concluded with the adoption of political resolutions and decisions on organizational matters.

In March 1935, the First National Congress of the Party was held in Macau, and Lê Hồng Phong was elected General Secretary. In July 1935, he attended the Seventh Congress of the Communist International, where he was elected as an alternate member of its Executive Committee. It was there that Lê Hồng Phong met Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, and they later married in China.

In 1936, Lê Hồng Phong was sent back to Vietnam as a representative of the Communist International to the Central Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party. During the period of the democratic front, he authored several works promoting the Soviet Union and spreading the Party's anti-fascist policies.

In 1938, Lê Hồng Phong was arrested by the French in Saigon and sentenced to ten months in prison. After his release in 1939, the French placed him under house arrest. Before he could contact the Party to continue his work, he was rearrested and sent to Con Dao Prison. There, he was brutally tortured but remained steadfast, refusing to betray his comrades and his Party.

On September 6, 1942, Lê Hồng Phong passed away in Con Dao Prison. Before his death, he managed to send a final message to a fellow comrade: "Please tell the Party that until my last breath, I remain confident in the victory of our revolution." Lê Hồng Phong’s life stands as a symbol of unwavering loyalty, resilience, and the indomitable will of a true communist revolutionary.

Hà Huy Tập (1906-1941) was a prominent Vietnamese revolutionary and the third General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

In 1926, Hà Huy Tập joined the Vietnam Revival Association, engaging in various activities such as advocating for the release of Phan Bội Châu, mourning Phan Châu Trinh, and teaching Vietnamese to workers at night in the factories of Vinh and Bến Thủy. His active involvement led to his reassignment to Quỳ Châu, where he resisted the decision and was subsequently dismissed from his post.

In 1927, Hà Huy Tập moved to southern Vietnam to continue his revolutionary activities. In July 1928, he was sent to Guangzhou, China, to discuss party unification. He later studied at the Eastern University of the Communist International. After completing his studies in 1932, he attempted to return to Vietnam, but the French government expelled him while passing through Paris. Hà Huy Tập then traveled to Belgium and eventually returned to the Soviet Union. In early 1934, he reached Macau, where he and Lê Hồng Phong established the Communist Party leadership in exile and prepared for the Party's first congress in March 1935.

In July 1936, Hà Huy Tập and Lê Hồng Phong convened a meeting in Shanghai to update the Party's central resolution in response to new developments. At this meeting, Hà Huy Tập was elected as General Secretary, replacing Lê Hồng Phong. He then returned to Saigon to lead the revolutionary movement, authoring works that explained the Party's new policies and denounced counter-revolutionary Trotskyism.

On July 14, 1938, Hà Huy Tập was arrested after being betrayed. After serving his sentence, the colonial authorities deported him back to his home village. On March 30, 1940, he was arrested again and imprisoned in the Central Saigon Prison. After the Nam Kỳ Uprising, on August 25, 1941, he was charged with "spiritual responsibility" for the uprising and sentenced to death. At his trial, he courageously declared, 'I have no regrets. If I were to survive, I would continue my revolutionary activities.'

On August 26, 1941, Hà Huy Tập was executed by firing squad in Hóc Môn (Gia Định), along with fellow revolutionaries Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Võ Văn Tần, Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, and Phan Đăng Lưu. A devout patriot and committed revolutionary, Hà Huy Tập exemplified the highest ideals of loyalty to the revolutionary cause, fighting and sacrificing for the liberation of the nation. His contributions played a crucial role in the success of the August Revolution of 1945.