Vazgen Karakhanyan was born on August 5, 1946 in the village of Sinadan in the Isfahan region of Iran.

Mr. Karakhanyan studied at the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute (for political rea­sons left his studies incomplete). He was awarded a Garegin Nzhdeh Medal in 2003.

In 1968 he started his career as a technician in the Housing Administration of Yerevan District of 26 Commissaries. From 1970-1972 he worked as a fitter and store­keeper in the Haykapshin Administrative Office. The next five years he worked first as a storekeeper, worker and later technical supervisor in the Yerevan Automobile Loading Plant. From 1977-1981 he worked as a skilled worker in the Abovyanshen Trust. From 1981-2003 he was a worker and later field head, assistant to the director and in the end Deputy Director in Yerevan Hydroaparat Plant.

On May 25, 2003 he was elected a deputy in the NA (from the proportional list of the Republican Party of Armenia) and he is currently on the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs. He is a member of both the Republican Party of Armenia Faction and party.

Mr. Karakhanyan is married and has four children.