HANOI - To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, was elected Vietnam's state president at the first session of the 16th National Assembly, the country's top legislature, on Tuesday. 

All 495 deputies present voted in favor of the draft resolution on the election of Lam, who served as the state president of Vietnam from May to October 2024.

Lam was elected general secretary of the 13th CPVCC in August 2024 and was re-elected to the position for the 2026-2031 tenure at the first meeting of the 14th CPVCC on Jan. 23, 2026.

In his speech, Lam stressed the need to develop a highly skilled workforce to meet development requirements in the new period, improve institutions and governance toward a modern, inclusive and sustainable society, and bring the country in step with global political, economic and civilizational trends.