Supreme Leader (Vietnamese title)

The Supreme Leader (Vietnamese: Lãnh tụ tối cao) is an informal term for the political figure in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that holds both the first-ranked position (General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam) and second-ranked position (President) since April 2026. While the General Secretary of the CPV is the first top leader of Vietnam, the current General Secretary Tô Lâm consolidated is power even more, after he took the position of President. This is a break with the country's tradition that a collective leadership (Four pillars), in which the general secretary was the first among equals and not a supreme leader. Before 2026, former General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng was already the Supreme Leader, similar to Tô Lâm in 2026, he also began to concentrate his power, however he didn't break with the collective leadership (four pillars) like Tô Lâm, besides that he is still seen as supreme leader.

Background

While the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Trường Chinh, already held both offices of General Secretary and President concurrently, he didn't got considered to be the supreme leader. Those exceptions were largely elected to fulfill their successors' uncompleted terms of party general secretaryship or state presidency, another reason was due the upholding of the concept of the collective leadership (Four pillars),

}} besides that Nguyễn Phú Trọng was the Supreme Leader, he concentrated his power unlike leaders before him. After the death of Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Tô Lâm became acting general secretary and later the official general secretary, during the time when he was president, during this brief period Tô Lam was compared to Chinese Paramount leader Xi Jinping, but it was noted that Tô Lâm while then already more powerful, couldn't break with the collective leadership (four pillars), In the end he gave up the presidency in October 2024. Tô Lâm began in 2026 to concentrate his power, after he was reelected as general secretary. On 7 April 2026, Tô Lâm was elected as President of Vietnam, which led further to his power concentration and the departure of the collective leadership (four pillars) concept.

Similarities to China and Laos

The Supreme Leader of Vietnam got compared to the Paramount leader of China and sometimes to the General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party who is the de facto leader of Laos, due the reason that paramount leader Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the President of China and that general secretary Thongloun Sisoulith is also the President of Laos.

List

See also

• Paramount leader
• Supreme Leader (North Korean title)
• Supreme Leader of Democratic Kampuchea
• Supreme Leader of Iran
• Supreme Leader of Afghanistan
• De facto leader of the GDR