“I first began reading The Saigon Times during my earlier posting at the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, from 1994 to 1998. Those were exciting times, with Vietnam opening up under the Doi Moi reforms and many Japanese companies were establishing their presence in southern Vietnam. As an officer responsible for economic affairs at the Consulate-General in those days, I found the up-to-date information The Saigon Times provided on Vietnam’s economy truly invaluable — and I am sure the Japanese business community here shared that sentiment.
HCMC - The National Assembly has approved Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's proposals to appoint Nguyen Van Thang as Minister of Finance and Tran Hong Minh as Minister of Transport, said local media reports.
As part of the National Assembly's ongoing eighth sitting, the legislature conducted electronic votes on November 28 regarding the appointment of the two high-ranking officials.
With the majority of the NA deputies voting in favor, the NA passed a resolution approving the appointment of Nguyen Van Thang as Minister of Finance for the 2021-2026 term.
For the past two years, Thang has served as Minister of Transport. With this appointment, he takes over the Ministry of Finance from Ho Duc Phoc, who has been serving as both Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance since August.
Nguyen Van Thang, 51, originally from Hanoi, holds a PhD in Theoretical Monetary Finance. He is a member of the Party Central Committee for the 12th (alternate) and 13th terms and a NA deputy for the 14th and 15th terms.
Before taking on governmental positions, he spent 18 years working at VietinBank, holding many important positions, from director of VietinBank's Hanoi branch, general director, to chairman of VietinBank's Board of Directors.
Regarding the post of Minister of Transport, the legislative body approved the appointment of Tran Hong Minh, secretary of Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee, as Minister of Transport for the 2021-2026 term, with the majority of the NA deputies present voting in favor.
Minister of Transport Tran Hong Minh
Minh, 57, from My Duc District, Hanoi, holds a PhD in Engineering. He is a member of the Party Central Committee for the 13th term and a NA deputy for the 15th term. In this new role, Minh succeeds Nguyen Van Thang as the head of the transportation sector.
“I first began reading The Saigon Times during my earlier posting at the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, from 1994 to 1998. Those were exciting times, with Vietnam opening up under the Doi Moi reforms and many Japanese companies were establishing their presence in southern Vietnam. As an officer responsible for economic affairs at the Consulate-General in those days, I found the up-to-date information The Saigon Times provided on Vietnam’s economy truly invaluable — and I am sure the Japanese business community here shared that sentiment.
