Chief of the General Staff (Vietnam)

The chief of the General Staff (alternatively the general chief of staff; Vietnamese: Tổng Tham mưu trưởng) is the chief of staff of the General Staff of the People's Army of Vietnam. The chief of the General Staff performs the task of advising the minister of defense in terms of state management and military command, by that practically being the second highest-ranking professional leader of the Vietnam People’s Army alongside the Chief of the General Department of Political Affairs. The chief of the General Staff also serves ex officio as standing deputy minister of defense. He is appointed by the president of Vietnam, who is the commander-in-chief. The current chief of the General Staff is Army General Nguyễn Tân Cương

Member ofGeneral Staff

Reports toThe president
The minister of defence

AppointerThe president
with CPV Politburo introduction, advice and consent

Term lengthNo fixed term

Quick facts of the General Staff, Member of ...

Chief of the General Staff
Tổng Tham mưu trưởng

Incumbent Nguyễn Tân Cương since 9 April 2021
Ministry of National Defence
Member of	General Staff
Reports to	The president The minister of defence
Appointer	The president with CPV Politburo introduction, advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	7 September 1945
First holder	Hoàng Văn Thái

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The Vietnamese general chief of staff is externally equivalent to the chiefs of defence or heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of other countries.

List of chiefs of the General Staff

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No.	Chief of General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Minister of Defence	President	Ref.
1	Thái, Hoàng VănArmy general Hoàng Văn Thái (1915–1986) ^[a]	7 September 1945	1953	7–8 years	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Chu Văn Tấn Phan Anh Võ Nguyên Giáp Ta Quang Buu Võ Nguyên Giáp	Hồ Chí Minh	–
2	Dũng, Văn TiếnArmy general Văn Tiến Dũng (1917–2002) ^[b]	1953	1954	0–1 years	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Võ Nguyên Giáp	Hồ Chí Minh	–
(1)	Thái, Hoàng VănArmy general Hoàng Văn Thái (1915–1986)	1954	1954	0 years	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Võ Nguyên Giáp	Hồ Chí Minh	–
(2)	Dũng, Văn TiếnArmy general Văn Tiến Dũng (1917–2002)	1954	1978	23–24 years	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Võ Nguyên Giáp	Hồ Chí Minh Tôn Đức Thắng	–
3	Tấn, Lê TrọngArmy general Lê Trọng Tấn (1914–1986) ^[c]	1978	5 December 1986 †	7–8 years	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Võ Nguyên Giáp Văn Tiến Dũng	Trường Chinh	–
4	Anh, Lê ĐứcArmy general Lê Đức Anh (1920–2019) ^[d]	5 December 1986	16 February 1987	73 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Văn Tiến Dũng	Võ Chí Công	–
5	Khuê, ĐoànArmy general Đoàn Khuê (1922–1999) ^[e]	16 February 1987	10 August 1992	5 years, 176 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Lê Đức Anh	Võ Chí Công	–
6	Luyện, Đào ĐìnhColonel general Đào Đình Luyện (1929–1999) ^[f]	10 August 1992	December 1995	3 years, 3 months	Vietnam People's Air Force	Đoàn Khuê	Võ Chí Công Lê Đức Anh	–
7	Trà, Phạm VănArmy general Phạm Văn Trà (born 1935) ^[g]	December 1995	29 December 1997	2 years	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Đoàn Khuê	Lê Đức Anh	–
8	Lịch, Đào TrọngLieutenant general Đào Trọng Lịch (1939–1998) ^[h]	29 December 1997	22 May 1998 †	144 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Phạm Văn Trà	Trần Đức Lương	–
9	Dũng, Lê VănArmy general Lê Văn Dũng (1945–2026) ^[i]	22 May 1998	May 2001	2 years, 11 months	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Phạm Văn Trà	Trần Đức Lương	–
10	Thanh, Phùng QuangArmy general Phùng Quang Thanh (1949–2021) ^[j]	May 2001	31 August 2006	5 years, 3 months	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Phạm Văn Trà	Trần Đức Lương	–
11	Nghiên, Nguyễn KhắcColonel general Nguyễn Khắc Nghiên (1951–2010) ^[k]	31 August 2006	13 November 2010 †	4 years, 74 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Phùng Quang Thanh	Nguyễn Minh Triết	–
12	Ty, Đỗ BáArmy general Đỗ Bá Tỵ (born 1954) ^[l]	22 November 2010	21 May 2016	5 years, 190 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Phùng Quang Thanh	Nguyễn Minh Triết Trương Tấn Sang	–
13	Giang, Phan VănArmy general Phan Văn Giang (born 1960) ^[m]	21 May 2016	8 April 2021	4 years, 322 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Ngô Xuân Lịch	Trần Đại Quang Nguyễn Phú Trọng	–
14	Cương, Nguyễn TânArmy general Nguyễn Tân Cương (born 1966)	9 April 2021	Incumbent	5 years, 17 days	Vietnam People's Ground Force	Phan Văn Giang	Nguyễn Xuân Phúc Vo Van Thuong Tô Lâm	–

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Gallery

Chairmen of Chief of Staff by branches of service

Air Force – 1
Ground Force – 13
Navy Force – 0

Notes

[a]
Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Leader of Vietcong from 1967 - 1973, Deputy Chief of Staff from 1974 to 1986.
[b]
Later elected to Minister of Defence, Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam.^[1]
[c]
Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of Central Committee, died in 1986.^[2]
[d]
Later elected to President of Vietnam, Member of the Politburo.^[3]
[e]
Later elected to Minister of Defence, Member of the Politburo.^[4]
[f]
Held at the same time the position of Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of the Central Committee.
[g]
Later elected to Minister of Defence, Member of the Politburo.
[h]
Deputy Minister of Defence, member of Central Committee, died in an aircraft crash in 1998.^[5]
[i]
Later elected to Director of the General Department of Politics, Secretary of the Central Committee.
[j]
Later elected to Minister of Defence, Member of the Politburo.
[k]
Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of the Central Committee, died in 2010 of cancer.^[6]
[l]
Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of the Central Committee. Later elected to Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam
[m]
Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of the Central Committee.^[7] m