Vietnamese party chief elected country's president

HANOI - Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), on Tuesday was elected president of Vietnam at the ongoing sixth session of the 14th National Assembly of Vietnam, the country's top legislature, Vietnam News Agency reported.

After being elected president, Trong on Tuesday afternoon took the oath, which was broadcast live by Vietnam's national television VTV and Voice of Vietnam.

Trong said he was both happy and worried. "I am happy because I have been trusted and loved by the National Assembly and assigned tasks. I am worried about how to fulfil the heavy tasks before the country," he said when taking the oath.

Trong, born in 1944, holds a PhD in politics with specific field of party construction.

He has been a member of the CPVCC's Political Bureau since 1997. He served as chairman of the National Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

Trong was elected CPVCC general secretary in 2011, and re-elected general secretary in 2016.

On Sept 23, two days after Vietnamese former president Tran Dai Quang passed way, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh became acting president.