Nguyen Thi Hong

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (2026–31); former Governor, State Bank of Vietnam (2020–26) — National Assembly of Vietnam

About Nguyen Thi Hong

Key facts Role: Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (2026–31); former Governor, State Bank of Vietnam (2020–26) Organisation: National Assembly of Vietnam Country: Vietnam Sector: Politics & Government Headline figures: Elected vice-chair on 6 April 2026 with all 496 deputies present voting in favour On 25 September Nguyen Thi Hong led a National Assembly working group examining how Hanoi will spend a five-year public investment plan worth VND864.7tn. Her task was to test the capital's priorities, including Red River bridges and roughly 100km of urban railway. Six months earlier she was on the other side of such meetings, as governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). On 6 April the newly elected 16th National Assembly made her one of its vice-chairs for 2026–31, with all 496 deputies present voting in favour. The assembly approved Pham Duc An as her successor at the central bank on 8 April, and she formally handed over to him on 9 April. She now oversees the legislature's scrutiny of economic, financial and budget policy. The role The move trades direct control of monetary policy for a senior place in the lawmaking hierarchy. Vietnam's National Assembly passes laws, approves the state budget and ratifies the Communist Party's choices for top state posts. According to BowerGroupAsia and Vietnamese official media, Hong has been assigned to guide the Economic and Financial Committee, chaired by Phan Van Mai. She also heads a supervisory delegation on the management of public office buildings left surplus after administrative restructuring. She has been a member of the party's Central Committee since 2021 and was re-elected at the 14th Party Congress in January 2026. Background Hong, born in 1968, spent her whole career at the central bank before moving to the legislature. She joined its foreign-exchange department in 1991 and spent two decades in monetary policy, rising to director of the monetary policy department in 2012. She became deputy governor in 2014 and governor in November 2020, according to her official biography. The governorship Her governorship was dominated by banking-sector stress. After a bank run in October 2022, the SBV took control of Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB). In 2024–25 the SBV carried out the compulsory transfer of four weak banks, CB, OceanBank, DongA Bank and GPBank, to Vietcombank, MB, HDBank and VPBank, Viet Nam News reported. SCB was still awaiting a restructuring plan in September 2025. The SBV also pushed credit hard to support growth. Reuters reported that the banking system's credit-growth target was raised to 20% in 2025 before being lowered to 15% in January 2026 amid concerns about asset bubbles. Reuters also noted that the SBV had at times tried to soften politically driven decisions with financial risks. For example, it warned about a Vingroup bid for a major railway project that would have shifted most of the risk onto the state budget, and Vingroup later withdrew the bid. At the April handover Hong said the sector had faced "unprecedented difficulties and challenges" during her term. Regional weight Her regional weight comes from Vietnam's economic rise. As one of the country's most experienced monetary officials now inside its legislature, she will help shape the financial laws and budget oversight that foreign investors and regional partners watch closely. What to watch: the National Assembly's autumn session on the 2027 budget and medium-term public investment plans, how she steers oversight of the government's growth ambitions, and whether the unresolved SCB restructuring returns to the assembly's agenda. Hong ranks 31st because she combines a senior post in Vietnam's legislative leadership with long experience at the central bank. Her power is now supervisory and collective rather than the direct policy control she held as governor. Sources VTV via Vietnam.vn, Comrade Pham Duc An holds the position of Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam , 8 Apr 2026 Lao Động, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong elected as Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly , 6 Apr 2026 Vietnam.vn / Hà Nội Mới, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hong: Focus capital on projects... , 25 Sep 2026 Vietnam.vn / Báo Vĩnh Long (via VOV), Governor Nguyen Thi Hong was elected ... Vice Chairperson of the National Assembly , 6 Apr 2026 Vietnam.vn / Thời báo Ngân hàng, SBV handover ceremony, 9 Apr 2026 Vietnam Law Magazine, 16th National Assembly elects vice chairpersons, Standing Committee members , 2026 Vietnam.vn / Báo Đại biểu Nhân dân, working session with Economic and Financial Committee, 17 Apr 2026 BowerGroupAsia, Vietnam's National Assembly Approves New Leaders for 2026-2031 Term , 8 Apr 2026 Reuters, Vietnam's central bank governor to leave as term ends, sources say , 27 Mar 2026 Viet Nam News, Gov't urges complete restructuring plan for vulnerable SCB , 11 Sep 2025 Lao Động / Công đoàn Việt Nam, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hong receives additional tasks

Why this entry is on the list

Hong ranks 31st because she combines a senior post in Vietnam's legislative leadership with long experience at the central bank. Her power is now supervisory and collective rather than the direct policy control she held as governor. Elected a vice-chair of the National Assembly for 2026–31 on 6 April, she guides its Economic and Financial Committee after running the State Bank of Vietnam from November 2020.