Vietnam party boss To Lam surrounds himself with police allies

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Vietnam's flurry of new appointments has stacked the government with Communist Party loyalists and alumni of the security apparatus that defined the career of party chief To Lam.

Monday's selection of Nguyen Hoa Binh, Bui Thanh Son and Ho Duc Phoc means Vietnam now has five deputy prime ministers. Parliament also approved new ministers of justice and the environment and a chief justice in an extraordinary session, though these sessions are becoming more "ordinary" as officials ousted in a years-long corruption crackdown constantly must be replaced.