Võ Chí Công

In this Vietnamese name, the family name is Võ, but is often simplified to Vo in English-language text. According to Vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the given name Công.
Võ Chí Công
Chairman of the Council of State of Vietnam
In office
18 June 1987 – 22 September 1992
Preceded by Trường Chinh
Succeeded by Lê Đức Anh
Minister of Agriculture of Vietnam
In office
2 February 1977 – 12 December 1979
Preceded by Võ Thúc Đồng
Succeeded by Nguyễn Ngọc Trìu
Personal details
Born Võ Toàn
7 August 1912
Quảng Nam, French Indochina
Died 8 September 2011(2011-09-08) (aged 99)
Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam

Võ Chí Công (born Võ Toàn; 7 August 1912 – 8 September 2011) was a Vietnamese Communist politician, and the Chairman of the Council of State of Vietnam (Alternatively: President of Vietnam) between 1987 and 1992.[1][2]

Early life and political activities

Võ Chí Công was born Võ Toàn in Quảng Nam, French Indochina, in 1912. He first became politically active in 1930, when he joined with Phan Bội Châu and Phan Chu Trinh, two early Vietnamese nationalists who opposed the French colonial regime. He joined the Communist Party of Indochina in 1935,[3] and fought with the Vietnamese resistance against the Vichy French during World War II.

Vietcong founding member

After the First Indochina War, Công as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of 5th Region (and elected is member of Central Committee Party in 1960), before becoming a founding member and Deputy Chairman of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (Vietcong) in 1961. He later became Deputy Secretary of the Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN), and was a key figure in the South Vietnamese communist party during the Vietnam War. After the reunification of Vietnam in 1976, Công was awarded a seat on the national Politburo.[4]

Cabinet career and presidency

As a Politburo member, Công served in various cabinet posts, including Minister of Fisheries (1976–77), Minister of Agriculture (1977–78), and Deputy Prime Minister (1976–82), before becoming the Chairman of the Council of State of Vietnam (the contemporary equivalent of the President of Vietnam) in 1987. After his presidential term ended in 1992, Công became an advisor to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, until this advisory position was abolished in 1997.

Death

Võ Chí Công died in Hồ Chí Minh City on 8 September 2011, aged 99.[5] The Vietnamese government granted him a televised state funeral in recognition of his long political career.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Bruce M. Lockhart, William J. Duiker The A to Z of Vietnam 2010 p.420 "Võ Chí Công (1912— ). Leading figure in the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) and former chief of state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). Born near Da Ngng in 1912, Võ Chí Công became active in the Indochinese Communist Party".
  2. ↑ "State funeral for former President of State Council - Võ Chí Công". BaoMoi.com. September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Vo Chi Cong, Vietnamese leader, is dead at 99". New York Times. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "Tributes to Vo Chi Cong in HCM City". Vietnam Breaking News. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Đồng chí Võ Chí Công từ trần" (in Vietnamese). Bao Dien Tu. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Former State leader dies at ninety nine". Viet Nam News. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
Preceded by
Trường Chinh		 President of Vietnam
1987–1992 		Succeeded by
Lê Đức Anh
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