# Minister of Defence (Vietnam)

The Minister of National Defence (Defence Minister; Vietnamese: Bộ trưởng Bộ Quốc phòng, lit. 'Minister of the Ministry of National Defence') is the Government of Vietnam member in charge of the Ministry of National Defence. The Minister is responsible for the formal executive management functions of state for defense. 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. | 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) | May 8, 1945 | March 1946 | — | Ho Chi Minh |
| 2 | | Phan Anh (1912–1989) | March 1946 | May 11, 1946 | — | Ho Chi Minh |
| 3 | | Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013) | May 11, 1946 | May 8, 1947 | — | Ho Chi Minh |
| 4 | | Tạ Quang Bửu (1910–1986) | May 8, 1947 | May 8, 1948 | — | Ho Chi Minh |
| 3 | | Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013) | May 8, 1948 | July 2, 1976 | 5 | Ho Chi Minh |
| 3 | | Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013) | May 8, 1948 | July 2, 1976 | 5 | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| 3 | | Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013) | May 8, 1948 | July 2, 1976 | 7 | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| Minister of Defence of the Republic of South Vietnam (1969 – 76) |||||||
| — | — | Trần Nam Trung (1912–2009) | June 8, 1969 | July 2, 1976 | — | Huỳnh Tấn Phát |
| Minister of Defence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976 – present) |||||||
| 1 | | Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013) | July 2, 1976 | February 1980 | 4 | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| 2 | | Văn Tiến Dũng (1917–2002) | February 1980 | February 16, 1987 | 6 | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| 2 | | Văn Tiến Dũng (1917–2002) | February 1980 | February 16, 1987 | — | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| 3 | | Lê Đức Anh (1920–2019) | February 16, 1987 | August 8, 1992 | 6 | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| 3 | | Lê Đức Anh (1920–2019) | February 16, 1987 | August 8, 1992 | 6 | Phạm Hùng |
| 3 | | Lê Đức Anh (1920–2019) | February 16, 1987 | August 8, 1992 | 6 | Đỗ Mười |
| 4 | | Đoàn Khuê (1922–1999) | August 8, 1992 | December 29, 1997 | 5 | Đỗ Mười |
| 4 | | Đoàn Khuê (1922–1999) | August 8, 1992 | December 29, 1997 | 5 | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| 4 | | Đoàn Khuê (1922–1999) | August 8, 1992 | December 29, 1997 | 6 | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| 5 | | Phạm Văn Trà (born 1935) | December 29, 1997 | June 28, 2006 | 5 | Phan Văn Khải |
| 5 | | Phạm Văn Trà (born 1935) | December 29, 1997 | June 28, 2006 | 11 | Phan Văn Khải |
| 6 | | Phùng Quang Thanh (1949-2021) | June 28, 2006 | April 8, 2016 | 8 | Nguyễn Tấn Dũng |
| 6 | | Phùng Quang Thanh (1949-2021) | June 28, 2006 | April 8, 2016 | 2 | Nguyễn Tấn Dũng |
| 7 | | Ngô Xuân Lịch (born 1954) | April 9, 2016 | April 7, 2021 | — | Nguyễn Xuân Phúc |
| 7 | | Ngô Xuân Lịch (born 1954) | April 9, 2016 | April 7, 2021 | 6 | Nguyễn Xuân Phúc |
| 8 | | Phan Văn Giang (born 1960) | April 8, 2021 | Incumbent | — | Phạm Minh Chính |
| 8 | | Phan Văn Giang (born 1960) | April 8, 2021 | Incumbent | 12 | Phạm Minh Chính |