The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam, the country's top legislature, re-elected Nguyen Phu Trong as its chairman on Monday morning.

On Monday morning, at the ongoing 1st session of the 12th NA, 97.97 percent of all NA deputies voted for Trong, who in June 2006 replaced then NA chairman Nguyen Van An due to age factor. 

After being re-elected, Trong made a speech, in which he promised that he will strive to raise legislation and supervision capacity of the NA, reform its works, and vigorously combat red- tape, and keep close contact with people.

Trong, born in 1944 in Hanoi, currently holds a doctorate degree. He studied at the Literature Faculty of the Hanoi General University (now the Hanoi National University) in the 1963-1967 period. He joined the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1967.

Trong worked at the Document Department of the Communist Magazine from December 1967 to July 1968. He acted as an editor at the magazine's Party Construction Department between July 1968 and August 1973.

He pursued a master degree in political economics at the Nguyen Ai Quoc High-ranking Party Institute from September 1973 to April 1976. He worked as an editor at the magazine's Party Construction Department between May 1976 and August 1981, studied in the former Soviet Union from September 1981 to July 1983 and gained associate professor title there, became vice head and then head of the Party Construction Department between August 1983 and February 1989.

Trong became member of the magazine's editing board between March 1989 and April 1990, deputy editor-in-chief from May 1990 to August 1991, and editor-in-chief in August 1991. He was elected member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) in January 1994, re-elected in June 1996, and became deputy secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee in October 1996, and member of the CPVCC's Political Bureau in December 1997.

Trong became secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee in January 2000, chairman of the Central Theoretical Council in 2001, member of the CPVCC in April 2001, and member of the Political Bureau in April 2006.

Also on Monday morning, the deputies voted for four NA vice chairpersons and 18 members of the 12th NA Standing Committee, compared with three and 15 in the 11th NA Standing Committee. The four new vice chairpersons include director of the 11th NA's Economics Affairs and Budget Commission Nguyen Duc Kien, Justice Minister Uong Chu Luu, head of the CPVCC's Commission for Mass Mobilization Tong Thi Phong, and commander of the Military Zone V lieutenant general Huynh Ngoc Son.

The voting rates for Kien, Luu, Phong and Son were 96.75 percent, 93.91 percent, 91.08 percent and Son 92.49 percent. 

Among the 12th NA Standing Committee, three members of the 11th NA Standing Committee were re-elected, three are women, three are not members of the CPVCC, the youngest is 49 and the eldest is 63 - - Nguyen Phu Trong. The average age of the 18 members are 56, while that of the 13 members of the 11th NA Standing Committee is 59.

The 12th NA Standing Committee includes the NA chairman, the four vice chairpersons and 13 people.