The minister of national defence () is a Vietnamese cabinet member in charge of the Ministry of National Defence. The minister is responsible for the formal executive management functions of state for defence. By Vietnamese politics' design, the assigned defence minister also automatically assumes the positions of deputy secretary of the Central Military Commission (CMC), member of the Politburo and member of the Council for National Defense and Security, by that the defence minister is practically the highest-ranking military officer - who always keeps the rank of army general - and politically the second-highest leader of the Vietnam People’s Army as well as the Militia and Self-Defence Force, just under the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam - who serves ex officio as the secretary of the Central Military Commission. The current defence minister is Army General Phan Văn Giang, since 8 April 2021.
Chain of command General Secretary of the Communist Party (ex officio Secretary of the CMC) President (nominal commander-in-chief of the People's Armed Forces) Prime Minister Minister of Defence (ex officio Deputy Secretary of the CMC) Chief of the General Political Department Chief of the General Staff (ex officio Deputy Defence Minister) Deputy ministers of defence
Lists of ministers of defence No.These numbers are not official. Portrait Name(birth–death) Took office Left office Rank Prime Minister Minister of Defence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam(1945 – 76) 1 Chu Văn Tấn(1909–1984) 28 August 1945 2 March 1946 Ho Chi Minh 2 Phan Anh(1912–1989) 2 March 1946 3 November 1946 3 Võ Nguyên Giáp(1911–2013) 3 November 1946 1 August 1947 4 Tạ Quang Bửu(1910–1986) 1 August 1947 1 July 1948 3 Võ Nguyên Giáp(1911–2013) 1 July 1948 2 July 1976 5 Phạm Văn Đồng 7 Minister of Defence of the Republic of South Vietnam(1969 – 76) Trần Nam Trung(1912–2009) 8 June 1969 2 July 1976 Huỳnh Tấn Phát Minister of Defence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam(1976 – present) 1 Võ Nguyên Giáp(1911–2013) 2 July 1976 7 February 1980 4 Phạm Văn Đồng 2 Văn Tiến Dũng(1917–2002) 7 February 1980 16 February 1987 6 3 Lê Đức Anh(1920–2019) 16 February 1987 8 August 1992 6 Phạm Văn Đồng Phạm Hùng Đỗ Mười 4 Đoàn Khuê(1922–1999) 8 August 1992 29 December 1997 5 Đỗ Mười Võ Văn Kiệt 6 5 Phạm Văn Trà(born 1935) 29 December 1997 28 June 2006 5 Phan Văn Khải 11 6 Phùng Quang Thanh(1949–2021) 28 June 2006 8 April 2016 8 Nguyễn Tấn Dũng 2 7 Ngô Xuân Lịch(born 1954) 9 April 2016 7 April 2021 Nguyễn Xuân Phúc 6 8 Phan Văn Giang(born 1960) 8 April 2021 Incumbent Phạm Minh Chính 127Lê Minh Hưng
See also Prime Minister of Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam
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