Trần Đức Lương

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This is a Vietnamese name; the family name is Trần, but is often simplified as Tran in English-language text. According to Vietnamese custom, this person properly should be referred to by the given name Lương.

8th President of Vietnam
Tran Duc Luong

In office 1997 – 2006
Preceded by	Lê Ðức Anh
Succeeded by	Nguyễn Minh Triết

Born	May 5, 1937 (1937-05-05) (age 71) Quảng Ngãi province
Political party	Communist Party of Vietnam
Spouse	Nguyễn Thị Vinh

Trần Đức Lương (born May 5, 1937) was the President of Vietnam from 1997 to 2006.

He was born in Quảng Ngãi province, and moved to Hanoi after leaving school in 1955. He studied geology, and was employed as a cartographer. He joined the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1959, and became a functionary of the party in the 1970s. In 1987, he became deputy prime minister. Member of the Politburo since June 1996, he was elected president on September 24, 1997, and re-elected in 2002. On June 24, 2006, Trần Đức Lương announced his resignation (along with prime minister Phan Văn Khải). Nguyễn Minh Triết was named to succeed Trần as president.