Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (born 12 April 1954, in Bến Tre Province) is a Vietnamese economist and politician. She is the first woman in

Vietnamese history The history of Vietnam can be traced back to around 20,000 years ago, as the first modern humans arrived and settled on this land, known as the Hoabinhians, which can be traced to modern-day Negritos. Archaeological findings from 1965, which are ...

to head the country's legislature, serving as the eleventh Chair of the National Assembly of Vietnam from 2016 to 2021. She was a member of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party, the country's highest decision-making body, in which she ranked second after

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

Nguyễn Phú Trọng Nguyễn Phú Trọng (born 14 April 1944) is a Vietnamese politician who has served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam — the highest political position in Vietnam — since 2011. In addition, Nguyễn Phú Trọng serv ...

. Ngân previously served in the cabinet of

Nguyễn Tấn Dũng Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (born 17 November 1949) is a Vietnamese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Vietnam from 2006 to 2016. He was confirmed by the National Assembly on 27 June 2006, having been nominated by his predecessor, Phan Văn ...

from 2006 to 2011 under various ministries. Prior to entering national politics, she held the post of Party Secretary (''de facto''

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

) of

Hải Dương province H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches''), or region ...

from 2002 to 2006, being the first woman to hold this position and the only female provincial chief in Vietnam at that time.

Early life

Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân was born on 12 April 1954 at the commune of Châu Hòa in Giồng Trôm District, Bến Tre Province. Her mother Nguyễn Thị Sang (died in 2006), commonly known as Má Sáu, is the secret basis of Bến Tre revolution. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, her family was active in the

National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

. She was raised by her mother and educated in the territories controlled by the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. Her husband is Lê Trung Dũng.

Education

In 1973, she went to

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

(nowadays

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

) to study at the Saigon Literature College of the University of Saigon, but her studies were interrupted when the National Liberation Front took control of the South. She later attended the University of Finance (nowadays the National Academy of Finance), earning a bachelor in financial management. Ngân also earned a

master of economics The Master of Economics (MEcon or MEc) is a postgraduate master's degree in economics comprising training in economic theory, econometrics, and/or applied economics. The degree is also offered as an MS or MSc, MA or MCom in economics; varian ...

in credit management at the

University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH University) ( vi, Đại học Kinh tế Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, links=no) is a multidisciplinary university which was established in 1976 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is one of the National ...

. She held an advanced degree in political theory. In 2018, she was conferred the

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

by the

Pukyong National University Pukyong National University (PKNU) is a national university in Busan, South Korea, formed in 1996. The university has two campuses, Daeyeon-dong and Yongdang-dong, situated near the coastal district of Nam-gu. PKNU has a traditional focus on fi ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Career

After the unification of Vietnam, Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân was transferred to the Ben Tre Finance Bureau (later renamed the Ben Tre Finance Department) to start her career in finance. Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân was admitted to the

Communist Party of Vietnam The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), also known as the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP), is the founding and sole legal party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Founded in 1930 by Hồ Chí Minh, the CPV became the ruling party of North ...

on 9 December 1981 and became a full member of the Party a year later. She graduated from the rank of Deputy Manager, Head of Department, Deputy Director, Acting Director and was officially appointed Director of Ben Tre Finance Department in October 1991. In April 1995, she was sent to the Central Government and was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance, serving until 2002. In September 2002, she become the Party Secretary (''de facto''

) of

(2002-2006). Ngân was the first woman to hold this position and the only female provincial chief in Vietnam at that time. Barack Obama and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visiting Stilt House

Barack Obama and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visiting Stilt House

In February 2006, she was briefly transferred to the Ministry of Finance before being appointed the Permanent Deputy Minister of Trade, serving from March 2006 to August 2007. She was then appointed by

to head the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, where she gained national prominence for playing a key role in the rescue of 10,000 Vietnamese

migrant workers A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers who work outsi ...

during the

Libyan crisis Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

in 2011.

Yoshihide Suga and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan 20201019 1

In May 2011, she was elected Deputy Chair of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. In 2013, she became a member of the 11th Politburo, the country's highest decision-making body. In 2016, she was elected Chair of the National Assembly, becoming the first woman in Vietnamese history to head the legislature and occupy one of the four pillars of leadership. She ranked second in the 12th Politburo after

. In a

YouGov YouGov is a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK, with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In 2007, it acquired US company Polimetrix, and sinc ...

survey in late 2020, Ngân was voted among the five most admired female figures among the Vietnamese public. She retired in March 2021.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Thi Kim Ngan 1954 births Living people Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly (Vietnam) Members of the 11th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 11th Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam People from Bến Tre Province 21st-century Vietnamese women politicians 21st-century Vietnamese politicians Labour ministers of Vietnam