Vietnamese parliament appoints interim State President

Following the removal of President Vo Van Thuong from office by the National Assembly, Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan assumed the position of Acting President, effective from March 21, 2024, until a new State President is elected by the legislative body.

Acting State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly announced the performance of the duties of the President immediately after the conclusion of the 6th extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly. The move is based on the 2013 Constitution, the Law on the Organization of the National Assembly, and related regulations.

This marks the second time during the 2021-2026 term that Xuan has been assigned the role of Acting State President. In January 2023, she held the position for over a month after the National Assembly relieved President Nguyen Xuan Phuc of his duties until Thuong was elected head of state.

Vo Thi Anh Xuan, 54 years old, holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry Education and a master's degree in Public Administration. She hails from Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province. She has been a member of the Central Committee of the Party for two terms (with a gap in the 11th term) and a delegate to the 14th and 15th National Assembly.

Xuan started her career as a secondary school teacher in Long Xuyen Town and then held various positions such as Vice Chairwoman and Chairwoman of the Provincial Women's Union, Vice Head of the Provincial Mass Mobilization Commission, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tan Chau Town, Vice Chairwoman of the Province, Deputy Secretary and later Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of An Giang.

In April 2021, she was elected as Vice President at 51, becoming the youngest Vice President in history. Former Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh said that Xuan had proven her abilities through various positions and possessed the five qualities of "intelligence, confidence, youthfulness, progressiveness, and success."

During her nearly three years in the position of Vice President, Xuan made numerous official visits to countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, and Kazakhstan and attended the Global Summit of Women in 2021 and 2023 in Portugal and the UAE. In her capacity as Acting President, in February 2023, she issued decisions to appoint 13 new Vietnamese Ambassadors abroad.