General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army

The General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army () 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.

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.

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

Heads No.Full nameImageLifespanTime in officeRank1Nguyen Chi Thanh1914–196711 July 19501961General2Song Hao1917–200419611976General3Chu Huy Mân1913–2006January 197716 February 1987 General4Nguyen Quyet1922–202416 February 1987 30 September 1991General5Le Kha Phieu1931–202030 September 199129 December 1997General6Pham Thanh Ngan193929 December 199721 April 2001General7Le Van Dung1945–202621 April 20011 March 2011General8Ngô Xuân Lịch19541 March 201115 April 2016General9Lương Cường195715 April 20163 June 2024General10Trinh Van Quyet19663 June 20244 November 2025General11Nguyen Trong Nghia 19624 November 2025PresentGeneral

See also Political Warfare Bureau, Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China) General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army

References