The Foreign Ministry of Vietnam

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh was born in 1959 in Nam Dinh. He is a professional, experienced diplomat and has been working in the Foreign Services for nearly 35 years. He has held various important positions in his diplomatic career and built up a wide range of experience in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

He married and has two children.

Education
He graduated in 1981 from the University of Diplomacy (now the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam). He obtained a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at Fletcher School, Tufts University, the United States of America.
He is fluent in English.

Career
In January 2016, he was elected as a member of the Politburo of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, member of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. Prior to that time, he was designated as the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam since November 2013. He was elected to the National Assembly the 13th tenure and  was re-elected to the National Assembly the 14th tenure June 2016.

He was appointed as the 12th Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam in August 2011 and was elected as a member of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in January 2011.

He was appointed as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam from September 2006 to August 2011.

After being elected as an alternate member of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in April 2006, he became a member of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam since January 2009. In November 2008, he was elected as a member of the 13th National Assembly.

From March 2003 to September 2006, he was designated as the Acting Director Genera and then the Director General of the Department for International Organizations, and the Head of Delegation for Dialogue on Human Rights with other countries.

From 1991 to 1999, he worked as the Deputy Director General of the Department for International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam. He held a number of important positions at the representative offices of Viet Nam in the United States (Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations in New York; Minister, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Viet Nam in the United States of America) from 1999 to January 2003.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh began his diplomatic career in 1981, when he worked at the Department of Training (now the Personnel and Organization Department). From 1982 to 1985, he worked at the Embassy of Viet Nam to the United Kingdom as Attaché. From 1986 to 1990, he worked as Desk Officer at the Department of General Affairs (now the Department for International Organizations).

Awards and honours
In his diplomatic career, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh has been conferred with many awards of high distinction, namely:

- The First-Class Labour Order in 2015 for excellent performance and contribution to the cause of socialist building and national defence from 2011-2014.
- The Third-Class Labour Order in 2009 for excellent performance from 2002 to 2008.
- The National Emulation Fighter in 2010 for excellent performance in the national emulation campaign and contribution to the cause of socialist building and national defence.
- The Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit in 2011 for excellent performance and contribution during Viet Nam’s Non-Permanent Membership of the United Nations Security Council, contributing to the cause of socialist building and national defence.
- The Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit in 2006 for excellent performance from 2001 to 2006.
- The Medal for the Diplomatic Cause in 2003 for valuable contribution to the development of Viet Nam’s diplomacy.