He was born in Phú Thọ Province on 15 August 1957. He has a bachelor's degree in Party Building and State Administration, and a high level of political theory. During his work, he attended training courses for cadres at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and in China.
Cường was previously vice director of the People's Army of Vietnam General Political Department from 2011 to 2016 where he became the director, and was promoted to the rank of four-star General in 2019.[9][10][11]
On 26 August 2024, General SecretaryTô Lâm resigned from the presidency shortly after his election as the new general secretary earlier that month following Nguyễn Phú Trọng's death in July.[12] On 21 October, at the eighth session of the 15th National Assembly, Cường was elected to the presidency with 440/440 attending National Assembly delegates in favor (reaching 91.67% of the total number of National Assembly delegates).[13][14][15] He was subsequently inaugurated as president, succeeding Tô Lâm.[16][17]
In his inaugural speech, Cường declared his commitment to maintaining and enhancing high unity and solidarity within the Party; building a clean and strong Socialist rule-of-law state; strengthening national defense and security; and consistently pursuing an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, and friendly foreign policy.[18][19][20] On the morning of 22 October 2024, the handover ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace.[21] At the ceremony, Tô Lâm officially handed over the presidential duties to Cường and requested relevant agencies to report specific tasks, review work plans, and coordinate internal and external affairs with the new president.[22][23][24]
Foreign Affairs
On 10 November 2024, Cường arrived in Chile for a three-day visit, his first overseas visit since becoming president. He arrived in Santiago to meet President Gabriel Boric. Before that, he visited the home of the late president Salvador Allende and meet with Allende's family. During the visit, one of the member of Cường's delegation was arrested for sexual assault.[25][26][27]
On 13 November, Cường arrived in Lima in Peru to participate in the APEC Summit. He arrived and meet Peruvian president Dina Boluarte and was awarded Order of the Sun of Peru. He also meet many other world leaders in the summit.[28]