Nguyen Xuan Phuc was sworn in as President of Vietnam, AFP reports.

Phuc, 66, has been Vietnam's PM for the past five years, with the economy booming and his government's response to Covid-19 has garnered accolades at home and abroad.

After a secret ballot, Phuc won the maximum number of votes among the nearly 500 members of the parliament.

Phuc was the only candidate nominated for the presidency. Later on Monday, he will nominate a successor as prime minister.