As the head of the party's Secretariat, Politburo and Central Military Commission, Trọng was considered Vietnam's paramount leader.

[3] A conservative Marxist–Leninist, Trọng joined the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1967 and rose through the section devoted to political work.

At the 13th National Congress in 2021, he was re-elected as general secretary, becoming the third leader of Vietnam to secure a third term (after Hồ Chí Minh and Lê Duẩn), and was succeeded by Nguyễn Xuân Phúc as president.

[3] During his tenure, Trọng pursued a wide anti-corruption campaign, implicating numerous senior officials to a degree unprecedented in Vietnamese political history.

From 1973 to 1976, he underwent a political-economic post-graduate course at the High-level Nguyễn Ái Quốc Party School (now the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration).

From January 2000 to June 2006, Trọng was secretary of the party's Executive Committee of Hanoi, the de facto head of the city authority.

According to the Vietnamese state news media, Hu Jintao and Trọng both agreed to avoid escalating the situation in the South China Sea and to handle disagreements through peaceful negotiations.

In December 2011, then-Vice President of China Xi Jinping visited Vietnam to "concretize" the results of the October discussions between Trọng and Hu.

This State-level visit to India also aims to contribute to strengthening Vietnam-India relations, bringing the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level, more substantive and more effective.

[30][31] Trọng visited China in January 2017, where Beijing and Hanoi signed 15 cooperation documents in various fields and issued a 10-point joint communiqué to deepen Sino-Vietnamese relations.

[32] According to state media, the two leaders pledged to continue the "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, towards the future" between China and Vietnam.

[33] In November 2017, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping paid a return visit to Vietnam, where the two sides discussed renewed cooperation on production capacity, energy, cross-border economic cooperation zones, e-commerce, human resources, economy and trade, finance, culture, health, information, social sciences and border defense.

[36][37] This made Trọng the third person to simultaneously serve as both head of the party and state, after Hồ Chí Minh (in North Vietnam only) and Trường Chinh.

His swearing-in ceremony took place at the Grand Hall and was broadcast live on the afternoon on state radio and television systems.

On 14 April, it was reported that Trọng had been rushed to the Chợ Rẫy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after visiting Kiên Giang while celebrating his 75th birthday, according to overseas news sources.

[43] The Vietnamese government initially had no comment on the subject matter, but later confirmed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam that he was "unwell, but will soon return to work".

Trọng said: I am not in great health [...] I am old and I want to rest, but the Congress has elected me so I will comply with my duty to serve as a party member.

Trọng remained de facto top leader in the country, serving as the General Secretary of the Communist Party.

[53] Both leaders released a joint statement, calling for cooperation in economic, political, defense and security areas and working together in "the fight against terrorism, 'peaceful evolution', 'colour revolution' and the politicisation of human rights issues".

[54][55] During Xi's 2023 visit, the two leaders agreed to build "a community of shared future for humankind", months after Hanoi upgraded its formal relations with the United States.

[56] In January 2023, Phúc resigned from the presidency due to corruption scandals, leading Trọng's ally Võ Văn Thưởng to succeed him in March.

[57] From 21 to 23 May 2023, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, and former president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, visited Vietnam and met with Trọng.

[71] On 18 July 2024, Trọng was replaced on a caretaker basis as General Secretary of the CPV by President Tô Lâm due to ill health.

Messages of condolences were sent from 130 countries and 32 organizations, including the leaders of Laos, Cambodia, China, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, North Korea, South Korea, Turkmenistan, the United States, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and others.