General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army
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The General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army (Vietnamese: Tổng cục Chính trị, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam) under the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam, is the agency responsible for Party work and political work in the army under the leadership of the Secretariat and the Central Military Commission.[1]
Mission
The General Political Department takes charge of the Party and political work in the military. It has the chief and vice chiefs, as well as functional departments responsible for the party organisation, personnel, political propaganda, ideological education, military security, and policy work.[2][3]
History
The predecessor of the General Political Department was the Political Department, established in September 1945 by order of the Central Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party to manage political work in the Vietnam Liberation Army led by the Viet Minh, with the Vietnam Liberation Army as the core . The first leader of the Department was Văn Tiến Dũng. On March 2, 1946, the Resistance Committee was established with Vo Nguyen Giap as chairman. On March 25, 1946, Ho Chi Minh as Chairman of the United Resistance Government established the Political Bureau as one of the ten specialized agencies of the Ministry of National Defense. Hoang Dao Thuy led the Political Bureau as its director. From April 24, 1946, Hoàng Văn Hoan replaced him as director.
Besides, on May 6, 1946, the Resistance Committee was renamed the Military Committee according to President Ho Chi Minh. Another political bureau was established under the Military Committee, with Tran Huy Lieu as the political bureau director, and Tran Do as his assistant.
In July 1950, the Political Department was upgraded to the General Political Department, directly under the General Command of the Vietnam National Army and Militia. It was not until after 1975, when the General Command of the Vietnam People's Army ceased operations, that the General Political Department became an agency directly under the Ministry of National Defense.
Awards
- Gold Star Medal (2000)
- Ho Chi Minh Order (1984, 2014)
- Order of National Defense, First Class (2019)
- Order of Freedom, First Class, of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (2017)
- First-Class Independence Medal[4]
Heads
| No. | Full name | Image | Lifespan | Time in office | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nguyen Chi Thanh |  |
1914–1967 | 1950 – 1961 | General |
| 2 | Song Hao | 1917–2004 | 1961 – 1976 | General | |
| 3 | Chu Huy Mân |  |
1913–2006 | 1977 – 1987 | General |
| 4 | Nguyen Quyet | 1922–2024 | 1987 – 1991 | General | |
| 5 | Le Kha Phieu |  |
1931–2020 | 1991 – 1997 | General |
| 6 | Pham Thanh Ngan |  |
1939 | 1997 – 2001 | General |
| 7 | Le Van Dung |  |
1945–2026 | 2001 – 2011 | General |
| 8 | Ngô Xuân Lịch |  |
1954 | 2011 – 2016 | General |
| 9 | Lương Cường |  |
1957 | 2016 – 2024 | General |
| 10 | Trinh Van Quyet | 1966 | 2024 – 2025 | General | |
| 11 | Nguyen Trong Nghia | 1962 | 2025 – | General |