| President of South Vietnam | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the State | |
| President of the People's Republic of South Vietnam Chủ-tịch Cộng-hoà Nhân-dân Nam Việt-nam Président de la République populaire du Sud-Vietnamien | |
| Style | Comrade President His/Her Excellency (abroad) |
| Residence | Independence Palace |
| Seat | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Nominator | Direct election |
| Term length | 5 years No restriction on renewal (de jure) Two terms (de facto since 2001) |
| Formation | 8 September 1986 |
| First holder | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| Deputy | President of the Senate |
| Salary | 500,000 vnđ (~$200,000) per annum |
The president of South Vietnam, officially the President of the People's Republic, is the executive head of state of South Vietnam, and the commander-in-chief of the Việt Cộng Army (officially the South Vietnamese Liberation Army, or SVLA).
The presidency is the highest office in the country and represents South Vietnam internally and externally, supervises the work as well as preserving the stability of the national governmental system and safeguards the independence and territorial integrity of the country. As South Vietnam is a semi-presidential system, the president appoints Prime minister, cabinet ministers and other officials with the confidence of the People's Assembly. While the prime minister oversee much of the nation's actual day-to-day domestic affairs, the South Vietnamese president wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy. The deputy and next in line of succession to the South Vietnamese presidency is the President of the Senate, who will serve in an acting capacity until a general election can be held.
The president is directly elected by all eligible South Vietnamese citizens over the age of 18 every 5 years. The president can be dismissed if being impeached by the People's Assembly and convicted by the Senate. Additionally, in the event of more than one successful vote of no confidence against the Cabinet (meaning more than one government collapse), the president typically resigns and calls for a snap election, as Võ Văn Kiệt did in 1998 during the aftermath of nationwide protests following the Asian Financial Crisis.
The liberal People's Revolutionary Party had dominated South Vietnamese politics between 1975 until 1998, when it suffered an electoral defeat to its former satellite party, the conservative Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peace Forces, during the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis. The current President is Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân since the 2021 election.
The modern office of the President traces its lineage back to the office of the President of the Consultative Council of the Provisional Revolutionary Government established in 1969 and first held by Nguyễn Hữu Thọ of the Việt Cộng. Throughout South Vietnamese history, there have been 14 heads of states, 7 of which were from the US-backed Republic of Vietnam (ROV) and the French-backed State of Vietnam, with the first being former Emperor Bảo Đại.
Chiefs of the State of Vietnam (1949–1955)[]
Initially abdicated during the August Revolution of 1945 in favor of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by Hồ Chí Minh, Bảo Đại later became Chief of the State of Vietnam, a puppet state created by France after its return to Indochina following World War 2. Under the nominal rule of Bảo Đại, the State of Vietnam and its French backers faced a humiliating defeat to Hồ's Việt Minh forces in 1954. The State of Vietnam withdrew to the 17th parallel south while the Việt Minh assumed control of the north, pending an election to unify the country in 1956. The State of Vietnam, with the support of the US, abandoned the election and formalized itself as the Western-recognized government of South Vietnam.
| Portrait | Name
(Born-Died) |
Term of office | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | |||
|
Bảo Đại
(1912–1997) |
13 June 1949 | 26 October 1955 | Independent |
Presidents of the First Republic of South Vietnam (1955–1963)[]
After a sham referendum in 1955, Ngô Đình Diệm deposed Bảo Đại and the French-backed State of Vietnam and established the US-backed Republic of Vietnam with himself being its first and only president (of the First Republic). He was assassinated in 1963, which led to a 4-year period of military rule.
| Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ngô Đình Diệm
(1901–1963) |
26 October 1955 | 2 November 1963 (assasinated) | Personalist Labor Revolutionary Party |
Heads of State of South Vietnam under Military junta (1963–1967)[]
During the military junta period, the heads of state of South Vietnam did not always hold real power, the heads of military were de facto leaders of the nation. Sometimes the heads of state and heads of military were held by the same person, for example: Duong Van Minh from 2 November 1963 to 30 January 1964 or Nguyen Khanh from 16 August 1964 to 27 August 1964.
| Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Affiliation | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dương Văn Minh
(1916–2001) |
2 November 1963 | 30 January 1964 | Military | Chief of State and
Chairman of Military Revolutionary Council (until 30 January 1964) |
| 30 January 1964 | 16 August 1964 | Chief of State | |||
|
Nguyễn Khánh
(1927–2013) |
16 August 1964 | 27 August 1964 | Military | Chief of State and
Chairman of Military Revolutionary Council |
| - | Provisional Leadership Committee | 27 August 1964 | 8 September 1964 | Military | Provisional Leadership Committee |
|
|
Dương Văn Minh(1916–2001) | 8 September 1964 | 24 October 1964 | Military | Chief of State and
Chairman of Provisional Leadership Committee |
|
Phan Khắc Sửu
(1893–1970) |
24 October 1964 | 20 December 1964 | Independent | Chief of State and
Chairman of High National Council (until 20 December 1964) |
| 20 December 1964 | 14 June 1965 | Chief of State | |||
|
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu(1923–2001) | 14 June 1965 | 3 September 1967 | Military | Chief of State and
Chairman of National Leadership Committee |
Presidents of the Second Republic of South Vietnam (1967–1975)[]
Dương Văn Minh was the last head of state of the US-backed Republic of Vietnam regime, which fell in April 30 1975 with the Fall of Saigon.
| Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
(1923–2001) |
3 September 1967 | 21 April 1975 | National Social Democratic Front |
|
Trần Văn Hương
(1902–1982) |
21 April 1975 | 28 April 1975 | National Social Democratic Front |
|
|
Dương Văn Minh
(1916–2001) |
28 April 1975 | 30 April 1975 | Military |
Chairs of the State Council of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (1975–1986)[]
After assuming control of South Vietnam, the Việt Cộng, led by the People's Revolutionary Party under nominal direction from the Workers' Party of North Vietnam, established the Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG) as a transitional state for eventual unification with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the North. However, plans for immediate unification was abandoned in favor of a gradual scheme, in which both North and South Vietnams would de jure remained as two independent sovereign states. This backfired in 1986, when the South rebelled and won against the North in the Second Vietnam War.
| Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nguyễn Hữu Thọ
(1910–1996) |
30 April 1975 8 June 1969 (as President of the Consultative Council) |
29 April 1981 | Workers' Party (North Vietnam) |
|
Võ Văn Kiệt
(1986–2008) |
29 April 1981 | 8 September 1986 | Workers' Party (North Vietnam) |
Presidents of the South Vietnamese People's Republic (1986–present)[]
Since victory against the North in 1986, the office of the head of state of South Vietnam has been the presidency, with the last Chairman of the State Council of the PRG Võ Văn Kiệt serving as the first President of the People's Republic.
| Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Võ Văn Kiệt
(1986–2008) |
8 September 1986 | 12 May 1998
resign |
People's Revolutionary Party |
|
Dương Quỳnh Hoa
(1930–2006) |
12 May 1998 | 22 April 2003 | Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peace Forces |
|
Nguyễn Thị Bình
(1927–present) |
22 April 2003 | 13 March 2008 | People's Revolutionary Party |
|
Nguyễn Minh Triết
(1942–present) |
13 March 2008 | 25 July 2011
resign |
People's Revolutionary Party |
|
Trương Tấn Sang
(1949–present) |
25 July 2011 | 12 April 2021 | People's Revolutionary Party |
|
Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân
(1954–present) |
12 April 2021 | incumbent | Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peace Forces |
References[]