The Prime Minister of Vietnam (Viet

The Prime Minister of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Thủ tướng Việt Nam), officially styled Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic (Vietnamese: Thủ tướng Chính phủ nước Cộng hòa Xã hội chủ nghĩa), is the head of government of Vietnam and presides over the meetings of the Central Government (formerly the Council of Ministers). The prime minister directs the work of government members, and may propose deputy prime ministers to the National Assembly.

The head of government is responsible to the National Assembly and serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Council for Defence and Security. The tenure of a prime minister is five years, and the term is renewable once. The current prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has served since 2005, and he is serving his last term. In case of incapacity, a deputy prime minister assumes the office of acting prime minister until the prime minister resumes duty, or until the appointment of a new prime minister.

The powers and prestige of the prime minister have varied through the years. Pham Van Dong, Vietnam's second prime minister, often lamented that in practice he had little power. Since the death of Pham Hung in 1988, the prime minister has been ranked 3rd in the order of precedence of the Communist Party's Politburo, the highest decision-making body in Vietnam.