Đinh Thế Huynh was born on 15 May 1953 in Xuân Trường District in Nam Định Province. He joined the Vietnam People's Army in 1971 and participated in the 1972 battle of Quảng Trị. He joined the Communist Party in 1974. After the war, he was sent by the new communist government to study at Lomonosov Moscow State University and graduated with a degree in journalism.