Võ Văn Thưởng

Võ Văn Thưởng (; born 13 December 1970) is a Vietnamese politician who served as the 12th president of Vietnam from March 2023 to March 2024, being the youngest person to serve in this position since the country's reunification at the age of 52. His resignation after just over one year in office amidst the Communist Party's anti-corruption campaign made him the second shortest-serving president in Vietnamese history, after Tô Lâm.

Thưởng is a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam, holding a master's degree in philosophy and an advanced diploma in political theory. He was a member of the 12th, 14th and 15th National Assembly of Vietnam, and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2011 until his resignation in 2024.

Prior to entering the Politburo, he had served as Standing Deputy Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City; Party Secretary of Quang Ngai Province; Standing Secretary and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Federation.

Võ Văn Thưởng first joined the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2016 after the 12th National Congress, at that time he had just turned 45 years old, becoming the youngest member of the Politburo at that time. He held the position of Head of the Central Propaganda Department from 2016 to 2021. He continued to be re-elected for the 13th term of the Politburo and became Permanent Member of the Secretariat from 2021 to 2023. He is also regarded as a close ally and a potential successor of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

Võ Văn Thưởng became the 12th President of Vietnam on 2 March 2023 after a month and a half, former President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigned due to political responsibility due to Phúc's subordinates being caught up in a series of corruption scandals. As the country's head of state, Thưởng was the second highest official in Vietnam after General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. Thưởng left many diplomatic marks during his term, including a historic meeting with Pope Francis. On 21 March 2024, he resigned after a series of his former subordinates in Quang Ngai province were arrested in a major corruption case. Provided by Wikipedia