Vietnamese leaders congratulate President To Lam (third from left) on his election as General Secretary of the 13th Party Central Committee, Hanoi, August 3, 2024.

Before the meeting started, the Party Central Committee observed a minute of silence in commemoration of late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

In his speech, General Secretary To Lam said that, for him, this is a great honor and also a tremendous responsibility before the Party, the people, the thousand-year-old glorious history of the nation, and the cause of national construction and defense in the new era.

Party General Secretary To Lam speaks after he was elected General Secretary of the 13th Party Central Committee.

He pledged to inherit and uphold the glorious traditions and experiences of the Party and the achievements of previous National Party Congresses, bring into full play the spirit of ‘self-reliance, self-confidence, self-resilience, and national pride,’ and continue to strengthen unity and solidarity within the Party and great national unity.