HCMC – The National Assembly (NA) elected Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong as State President of Vietnam at an extraordinary session in Hanoi today, March 2.

Some 98.38% of all NA deputies voted for Thuong, 53, to serve as Vietnam’s new head of state in the 2021-2026 tenure.

“I will be completely loyal to the nation, the people and the constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I will strive to fulfill the duties entrusted to me by the Party, the State and the people,” said Thuong during his swearing-in ceremony.

Thuong, who was born in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, is the youngest member of the Politburo.

The NA previously chose Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan as interim president after resigned as member of the Politburo and the Party Central Committee, State President and chairman of the Council for National Defense and Security in the 2021-2026 tenure.