Vietnam appoints 2 new deputy PMs

With a majority of votes in favor, the Vietnamese 13th National Assembly (NA) at its ongoing sixth session in capital Hanoi on Wednesday approved Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's proposal to appoint two new deputy prime ministers to the cabinet. The two new deputy PMs are Vu Duc Dam, former minister and Government Office head, who won 84 percent of votes from a total of 498 NA deputies, and Pham Binh Minh, minister of foreign affairs, with 86 percent. With the two new comers, Vietnam has now five deputy PMs. Born on Feb. 3, 1963, Vu Duc Dam holds a Doctor of Economics degree and speaks fluent English and French. He held various positions, including chief of the Government Office's ASEAN Department, secretary and assistant to former PM Vo Van Kiet, and deputy minister of posts and telecommunication, among others. He was elected as alternative member of the 10th Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, and full member of the 11th CPV Central Committee. In his report, Dung commented that "Dam has fulfilled well the assigned tasks, and is capable and qualified to undertake the post of a deputy prime minister." "Dam will assist the prime minister in directing the socio- cultural, scientific, educational and training sector," Dung proposed. Born on March 26, 1959, Pham Binh Minh took a Master of Diplomacy and Law degree from American Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and also speaks fluent English and French. Minh had worked in various positions, including ambassador- deputy permanent representative of Vietnamese Mission at the United Nations, deputy ambassador of Vietnam to the United States, chief of the Foreign Ministry's Department on International Organizations, deputy foreign minister and foreign minister. He was elected as alternative member of the 10th CPV Central Committee and became its full member in January 2009, member of the 11th CPV Central Committee, and deputy to the 13th National Assembly. In his report, Dung remarked, "Minh has actively contributed to the country's achievements in foreign affairs and international integration in his post as a foreign minister." "Minh is capable and qualified to undertake the post of a deputy prime minister cum foreign minister, in charge of the foreign relations work," said Dung. Previously on Tuesday, the NA approved Nguyen Tan Dung's proposal to relieve Nguyen Thien Nhan of his position as deputy PM. Nhan was elected deputy prime minister of Vietnam in 2007 and a political bureau member of the Communist Party of Vietnam in May 2013. He was elected president of the Vietnam Fatherland Front ( VFF) Central Committee at its consultative conference in capital Hanoi on Sept. 5, 2013.