The Communist Party of Vietnam has confirmed the appointment of incumbent President To Lam as party leader following the death of his predecessor a fortnight ago, according to The Independent.
The Communist Party gave unanimous support to Lam’s candidacy for the top post. The president had previously temporarily assumed the country’s most powerful political post on 18 July, a day before the death of previous general secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.
In his address to delegates in Hanoi, he vowed to inherit and build on Trọng’s legacy and fight corruption, make no changes to this Southeast Asian country’s foreign policy, and focus on achieving socio-economic development goals. Lam in his speech stated:
In the coming time, the work on anti-corruption will be continued fiercely. Personally, I feel fortunate that I have much experience in handling anti-graft campaign during the time I worked at the police ministry.
In his political career, Lam spent more than four decades at the Ministry of Public Security before becoming minister in 2016. He then led Trong’s massive anti-corruption campaign until May, when he became president following the resignation of his predecessor. He is now both Vietnam’s president and the leader of the Communist Party.
It is yet uncertain whether Lam will retain both top posts until the end of the legislative session in 2026 or whether he will go on to be succeeded by a new president. Nguyen Khac Giang, a Vietnam expert at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based think tank, said the anti-corruption campaign “may slow down a little as he may prioritise stabilising the party system before the party congress in 2026.”
Officials and diplomats also said, according to Reuters, that the party had discussed the possibility of appointing a new president so that Lam could focus on his job as party leader, but that things remain unclear for now. However, retaining both positions would not be unprecedented for Viet Nam, as Trong held both leadership roles for nearly three years until April 2021 following the former president’s death.
Vietnam has become a major destination for manufacturing investment due to its political stability, but has experienced major turmoil in recent months, which officials say has stemmed from an anti-corruption crackdown.
