Tô Lâm (born 10 July 1957) is a Vietnamese politician, who has been Minister of Public Security of Vietnam since 9 April 2016. Tô Lâm is a member of the 12th

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...

of 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 ...

and considered to be one of the more promising members of the Vietnamese Government, having previously served as Deputy Minister of Public Security on an exemplary level. Tô Lâm became a member of the

on 22 August 1981.

Childhood

Tô Lâm was born on 10 July 1957 in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam.

Early career

He attended the People's Police School in 1974. From October 1974 to October 1979: Student at the People’s Security Academy October 1979 – December 1988: Working at the Political Protection Department I, the Ministry of Public Security December 1988 – 1993: Cadre; Deputy Chief of the Political Protection Department I; the Ministry of Public Security 1993-2006: Deputy Director of the Political Protection Department I, Director of the Political Protection Department III, the Ministry of Public Security; 2006-2009: Deputy Director of the General Security Department, Permanent Deputy Director of the General Security Department in charge of the Political Protection Department I, the Ministry of Public Security; appointed as Major-general in 2007 2009 – August, 2010: Director of the General Security Department I, the Ministry of Public Security; appointed as Lieutenant-General in July, 2010 August 2010 – January 2016: Deputy Minister of Public Security; a member of the Party Central Committee (at the 11th Party Congress) June 4, 2011: To Lam was appointed as the new Secretary of the Central Police Party Committee September 16, 2014: The Minister of Public Security, Lieutenant General To Lam, was promoted to the rank of Colonel General by President Truong Tan Sang January 2016 – April 2016: Senior Lieutenant-General/Colonel General; Deputy Minister of Public Security; a member of the Politburo April 27, 2016: He was appointed Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption by President Tran Dai Quang July 31, 2016: He was appointed Head of Central Highlands Steering Committee, replacing Tran Dai Quang July 27, 2016 – present: Member of the Politburo; Head of Central Highlands Steering Committee, Minister of Public Security, Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption January 29, 2019: The Minister of Public Security, Colonel General To Lam, was promoted to the rank of General by President Nguyen Phu Trong

Controversies

In November 2021, a video was posted on the TikTok account of celebrity chef

Nusret Gökçe Nusret Gökçe (; born 1983), nicknamed Salt Bae, is a Turkish butcher, chef, food entertainer and restaurateur whose technique for preparing and seasoning meat became an Internet meme in January 2017. He owns Nusr-Et, a chain of luxury steak ho ...

, widely known by his nickname Salt Bae, shows Tô and his entourage dining at Gökçe's Nusr-Et Steakhouse in London after attending the

2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The ...

in Glasgow and laying wreath at the tomb of Karl Marx. In the clip, he was also seen personally putting a piece of gold-plated steak by the chef in his mouth and then giving a

thumbs-up A thumb signal, usually described as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, is a common hand gesture achieved by a closed fist held with the thumb extended upward or downward in approval or disapproval, respectively. These gestures have become metaphors i ...

. The video was deleted from Gökçe’s TikTok account just 30 minutes after a Vietnamese activist shared it on his Facebook page. The event has caused outrage among Vietnamese netizens as the feast took place when the majority of the Vietnamese population are struggling with a months-long economic shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Many also wondered how Tô could afford a steak that costs 1,450 pounds ($1,975) on a monthly salary of roughly $660. Despite attracting much attention from the international media, the Vietnamese press did not mention this event. On Facebook, the keyword #saltbae was blocked for a few days worldwide, and it was only accessible on November 9. Facebook did not state the reason for the block and did not say whether or not the Vietnamese government had requested them to do so. On November 16, 2021, a citizen living in Đà Nẵng was repeatedly summoned by the police for unknown reasons after posting a video on his personal Facebook page - in which he imitated the gesture of chef Nusret Gökce.

Awards

*: Military Exploit Order 3rd class *: Military Exploit Order 1st class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:To, Lam 1957 births Living people Government ministers of Vietnam Members of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 13th Politburo 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 Members of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam People from Ninh Bình province