Vietnam appoints first female Deputy Prime Minister

The resolution passed in a closed session on Oct. 25 following a proposal by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Of 430 lawmakers who took part in the vote (90.72% of all deputies), 429 approved; one did not vote.

Pham Thi Thanh Tra, 61, from Nghe An, becomes the first woman to serve as Deputy Prime Minister in Vietnam. She began as a secondary school teacher and later held leadership roles in Yen Bai, including Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee and Provincial Party Secretary. She was approved as Minister of Home Affairs in April 2021 and served in that post until her new appointment.

Ho Quoc Dung, 59, from Binh Dinh (now under Gia Lai Province after the July 2025 merger), holds a master’s degree in law and is a member of the 13th Party Central Committee.

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung. Photo by Pham Thang

He previously served as Chairman of the Binh Dinh People’s Committee and Provincial Party Secretary, and was designated by the Politburo as Gia Lai Provincial Party Secretary when Binh Dinh merged with Gia Lai in July 2025.

Vietnam now has nine Deputy Prime Ministers assisting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: Nguyen Hoa Binh (Permanent Deputy Prime Minister), Tran Hong Ha, Le Thanh Long, Ho Duc Phoc, Bui Thanh Son, Nguyen Chi Dung, Mai Van Chinh, Pham Thi Thanh Tra, and Ho Quoc Dung.

The assembly also confirmed on Saturday the appointments of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, , Minister of Agriculture Tran Duc Thang, and Minister of Home Affairs Do Thanh Binh.

The National Assembly began its final session of the year on Oct. 20, which will last 40 days.