In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Võ, but is often simplified to Vo in English-language text. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Ánh Xuân.
She was elected as the vice president on 6 April 2021 after winning 93.13% of the votes in the National Assembly, continuing the recent norm of having a woman holding this position.[4] Prior to her election, Xuân served as the Party Secretary of An Giang province and chaired the province's deputies delegation to the National Assembly. A member of the Party Central Committee, she is the second female (acting) president after Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh, who also briefly served as the acting president in 2018. Xuân was the youngest vice president of Vietnam since 1945.[5]
Early life
Võ Thị Ánh Xuân was born on 8 January 1970 in Thới Sơn, Tịnh Biên, An Giang province. She was a teacher in a high school in Long Xuyên, An Giang Province from 1992 to 1996. She was accepted in the Communist Party of Vietnam on 20 December 1994, officially becoming a member of the party on 20 December 1995.[6]
Political career
From August 1996 to July 2001, Võ Thị Ánh Xuân was a General Research Staff in Office of An Giang Provincial Party Committee. Between 2001 and 2010, she was a member of Standing Board, Vice Chairwoman then Chairwoman of An Giang Women's Union. During that time, she was also a member of the Committee of the An Giang Provincial Party Organisation (December 2005 to October 2010). From August 2010 to October 2010, she was also Deputy Head of An Giang Provincial Commission for Mass Mobilisation.[6]
From November 2010 to January 2013, she was member of Standing Board of An Giang Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of Tan Chau Town Party Committee, An Giang Province. In January 2011, she became an alternate member of the Party Central Committee for the 11th tenure. From February 2013 to November 2013, she was a member of An Giang Provincial Party Committee's Standing Board and the Vice Chairwoman of An Giang People's Committee. From December 2013 to October 2015, she was the vice Secretary of An Giang Provincial Party Committee. On 2 October 2015, she became the Secretary of the An Giang Provincial Party Committee, and still held that position until now.[citation needed]
In January 2016, she was elected a member of the 12th Party Central Committee. After the XIV National Assembly election, she is also the head of the An Giang National Assembly delegation.[7]
On 6 April 2021, the National Assembly of Vietnam adopted a resolution to elect Vo Thi Anh Xuan as Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with the support of 447 out of the 449 deputies present at the sitting, equivalent to 93.13% of the total number of parliamentarians.[8] She is the youngest Vice President of Vietnam since 1945.[5]
On 20 March 2024, President Võ Văn Thưởng was relieved of his positions as a head of state, a member of the Politburo, a member of the Party Central Committee, President and Chairman of the National Defense and Security Council. She became the Acting President for the second time. This became an unprecedented feat, as during the XIII Party Central Committee, she became the Acting Female President twice.[10]
Notes
^Xuân has assumed the acting presidency twice: the first time between the resignation of Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on 18 January 2023 and the election of Võ Văn Thưởng on 2 March 2023, and the second time between the resignation of Võ Văn Thưởng on 21 March 2024 and the election of Tô Lâm on 20 May 2024.