Vietnamese lawmakers elect woman to National Assembly top post

Lawmakers elected a woman to lead Vietnam's National Assembly on Thursday (Mar 31), a first for the Communist nation.

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan was sworn in after legislators voted to approve her nomination to the post; 472 out of 484 deputies voted ‘yes’.

Her nomination, together with that of Vietnam’s next president and prime minister, was revealed at the Vietnam Communist Party’s 12th National Congress in January.

A member of the Communist Party’s elite politburo since 2013, Ms Ngan, from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, remains one of the few women elected to the party’s top brass.

Before her election as leader of the National Assembly, the 61-year-old acted as its vice-chairwoman. Her credentials include former stints as Minister for Labour & Social Affairs, and Deputy Finance Minister. She has a Masters in Economics.

Observers Channel NewsAsia spoke to describe Ms Ngan as a “deserving” leader with a good reputation. 

She was a decisive minister who knew what she was doing, according to social scientist and former National Assembly deputy Prof Nguyen Minh Thuyet.

Vietnam’s National Assembly held confidence votes in 2013 and 2014 and both events saw Ms Ngan garner the most number of “high confidence” votes from fellow lawmakers.