# List of prime ministers of Vietnam

The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Thủ tướng Chính phủ nước Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), known as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Vietnamese: Chủ tịch Hội đồng Bộ trưởng) from 1981 to 1992, is the highest office within the Central Government. The prime minister is simultaneously the Secretary of the Government Caucus Commission, a Party organ on government affairs, and Deputy Chairman of the Council for Defence and Security, an organ of the National Assembly. Throughout its history, the office has been responsible, at least in theory but not always in practice, for handling Vietnam's internal policies. Since Vietnam is a one-party state, with the Communist Party of Vietnam being the sole party allowed by the constitution, all the prime ministers of the Democratic Republic and the Socialist Republic have been members of the party while holding office. The current prime minister is Phạm Minh Chính, since 5 April 2021. He is sixth-ranked in the Political Bureau (Politburo).
The Office of the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic traces its lineage back to Hồ Chí Minh, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic. The office has no official connection, or lineage, to the heads of government of the former South Vietnam (with the exception of Huỳnh Tấn Phát, a communist and the last head of government of South Vietnam). Officially there have been 8 prime ministers of Vietnam, but there have been 29 prime ministers of Vietnam if the prime ministers of the Empire of Vietnam and South Vietnam are counted.
The Prime Minister is elected by the proposal of the President of Vietnam to the National Assembly and is responsible to the National Assembly, which elects all ministers to government. Activity reports by the Prime Minister must be given to the National Assembly, while the Standing Committee of the National Assembly supervises the activities of the Central Government and the Prime Minister. Finally, the deputies of the National Assembly have the right to question the Prime Minister and other members of government.

## Empire of Vietnam (1945)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party |
| Chief of Cabinet of the Empire of Vietnam |||||||
| 1 | | Trần Trọng Kim (1883–1953) | 17 April 1945 | 23 August 1945 | 128 days | National Socialist Party of Daiviet [vi] |

## Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945–76)
### Status

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party |
| Chairman of Provisional Revolutionary Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (2 September-31 December 1945) President of Provisional Coalition Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1 January-2 March 1946) President of United Resistance Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (2 March-3 November 1946) Chairman of United National Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1946–1955) |||||||
| 1 | | Hồ Chí Minh (1890–1969) | 17 August 1945 | 20 September 1955 | 10 years, 34 days | Communist Party of Indochina (until 1951) Worker's Party of Vietnam (from 1951) |
| — | | Huỳnh Thúc Kháng (1876–1947) | 31 May 1946 | 21 September 1946 | 113 days | Independent |
| Prime Minister of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam |||||||
| 2 | | Phạm Văn Đồng (1906–2000) | 20 September 1955 | 2 July 1976 | 20 years, 286 days | Worker's Party of Vietnam |

## State of Vietnam and Republic of Vietnam (1949–1975)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party |
| State of Vietnam (1949–1955) |||||||
| 1 | | Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (Bảo Đại) (1913–1997) | 14 June 1949 | 21 January 1950 | 191 days | Independent |
| 2 | – | Nguyễn Phan Long (1889–1960) | 21 January 1950 | 27 April 1950 | 96 days | Constitution Party |
| 3 | – | Trần Văn Hữu (1896–1984) | 6 May 1950 | 3 June 1952 | 2 years, 28 days | Independent |
| 4 | | Nguyễn Văn Tâm (1893–1990) | 23 June 1952 | 17 December 1953 | 1 year, 167 days | Nationalist Party |
| 5 | | Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Lộc (1914–1990) | 11 January 1954 | 16 June 1954 | 156 days | Independent |
| 6 | | Ngô Đình Diệm (1901–1963) | 16 June 1954 | 26 October 1955 | 1 year, 132 days | Personalist Labor Revolutionary Party |
| Republic of Vietnam (1955–1975) |||||||
| 1 | | Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ (1908–1976) | 4 November 1963 | 28 February 1964 | 85 days | Independent |
| (2) | | Nguyễn Khánh (1927–2013) | 28 February 1964 | 27 August 1964 | 203 days | Military |
| — | – | Nguyễn Xuân Oánh (1921–2003) | 29 August 1964 | 3 September 1964 | 5 days | Independent |
| (2) | | Nguyễn Khánh (1927–2013) Acting | 3 September 1964 | 4 November 1964 | 62 days | Military |
| 3 | | Trần Văn Hương (1902–1982) | 4 November 1964 | 27 January 1965 | 84 days | Independent |
| — | – | Nguyễn Xuân Oánh (1921–2003) Acting | 27 January 1965 | 15 February 1965 | 19 days | Independent |
| 4 | | Phan Huy Quát (1908–1979) | 16 February 1965 | 5 June 1965 | 109 days | Nationalist Party |
| 5 | | Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (1930–2011) | 14 June 1965 | 1 September 1967 | 2 years, 74 days | Military |
| 6 | | Nguyễn Văn Lộc (1922–1992) | 1 November 1967 | 17 May 1968 | 259 days | Military |
| (3) | | Trần Văn Hương | 28 May 1968 | 22 August 1969 | 1 year, 96 days | National Social Democratic Front |
| 7 | | Trần Thiện Khiêm (1925–2021) | 22 August 1969 | 5 April 1975 | 5 years, 215 days | National Social Democratic Front |
| 8 | | Nguyễn Bá Cẩn (1930–2009) | 5 April 1975 | 25 April 1975 | 19 days | Vietnam Workers and Farmers Party |
| 9 | | Vũ Văn Mẫu (1914–1998) | 28 April 1975 | 30 April 1975 | 2 days | Force for National Reconciliation |

## Vietnam (1976–present)
### Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)
#### Status

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party |
| Prime Minister of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam |||||||
| 1 | | Phạm Văn Đồng (1906–2000) | 2 July 1976 | 18 December 1980 | 4 years, 167 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| Chairman of the Council of Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam |||||||
| 1 | | Phạm Văn Đồng (1906–2000) | 18 December 1980 | 18 June 1987 | 6 years, 182 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 2 | | Police senior colonel Phạm Hùng (1912–1988) | 18 June 1987 | 10 March 1988† | 273 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 3 | | Đỗ Mười (1917–2018) | 22 June 1988 | 9 August 1991 | 3 years, 48 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| — | | Võ Văn Kiệt (1922–2008) | 10 March 1988 | 22 June 1988 | 104 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 4 | | Võ Văn Kiệt (1922–2008) | 9 August 1991 | 22 September 1992 | 1 year, 44 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| Prime Minister of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam |||||||
| 4 | | Võ Văn Kiệt (1922–2008) | 22 September 1992 | 25 September 1997 | 5 years, 3 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 5 | | Phan Văn Khải (1934–2018) | 25 September 1997 | 27 June 2006 resigned | 8 years, 275 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 6 | | Army Major Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (born 1949) | 27 June 2006 | 6 April 2016 | 9 years, 284 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 7 | | Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (born 1954) | 7 April 2016 | 5 April 2021 | 4 years, 363 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| 8 | | Police lieutenant general Phạm Minh Chính (born 1958) | 5 April 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 278 days | Communist Party of Vietnam |