Võ Thị Ánh Xuân

Võ Thị Ánh Xuân (; born 8 January 1970) is a Vietnamese politician and former educator who serves as the 17th vice president of Vietnam since 2021. She briefly served as the acting president of Vietnam in 2023 and 2024.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. She is the youngest Vice President of Vietnam since 1945.

On June 30, 2022, she attended the inauguration ceremony of Philippine President Bongbong Marcos. On October 13, 2022, she visited Kazakhstan to attend the 6th Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit.

Acting President

On January 18, 2023, after Nguyễn Xuân Phúc was relieved of his duties as President, she became the Acting President according to the Constitution. On the afternoon of February 4, 2023, at the Presidential Palace, she officially received the handover of duties from Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. On February 24, 2023, she handed over the appointment decisions to 13 new Vietnamese ambassadors abroad. On March 2, 2023, she stepped down from her position as Acting President after Võ Văn Thưởng was elected as President, thus returning to her former role as Vice President.

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.

After Acting President

From May 3 to May 8, 2023, Võ Thị Ánh Xuân attended the 2023 Global Women's Summit in the United Arab Emirates and conducted several bilateral activities in the country. She then made an official visit to Qatar from May 7 to May 8. On August 14, 2023, she attended the inauguration ceremony of the construction of 8 classrooms at Vĩnh Phước Primary and Secondary School, a project funded by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Exploration Corporation with nearly 6 billion VND, which was mobilized by Xuân. On October 25, 2023, according to the vote counting results at the 6th session of the 15th National Assembly, Võ Thị Ánh Xuân received 410 high-confidence votes, 65 confidence votes, and 6 low-confidence votes.

Acting President for the Second Time

On March 20, 2024, after Võ Văn Thưởng was granted permission by the Central Committee of the Communist Party to resign from all his positions according to his personal wishes, she will assume the role of Acting President of Vietnam for the second time, as stipulated by the 2013 Constitution, until the 15th National Assembly elects a new President.

Notes

References

, -

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vo, Thi Anh Xuan
1970 births
Living people
Women vice presidents of Vietnam
People from An Giang province
Alternates 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
Vice presidents of Vietnam
Presidents of Vietnam
Women presidents in Asia
21st-century Vietnamese women politicians
21st-century Vietnamese politicians