Vietnam’s Communist Party names To Lam as top leader, following Nguyen Phu Trong’s death

Vietnamese President To Lam was named to the nation’s top position, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, on Saturday, replacing Nguyen Phu Trong, who died two weeks ago.

Lam, 67, had temporarily taken over the duties of party chief on July 18, a day before Trong’s death, as his health was deteriorating.

Party delegates unanimously supported Lam’s nomination, officials told a press conference.

Addressing the delegates, he vowed to inherit and promote Trong’s legacy, make no changes to the Southeast Asian nation’s foreign policy, focus on achieving its socioeconomic development goals and continue Vietnam’s anti-corruption campaign.

“In the coming time, the work on anti-corruption will be continued fiercely,” Lam told the press conference. “Personally, I feel fortunate that I have much experience in handling anti-corruption campaign during the time I worked at the police ministry.”

“This is a huge honour with glorious responsibility before the party and the people,” he added.

Vietnam, a major destination for manufacturing investment, has long been favoured by multinational corporations for political stability, but in recent months it has experienced major political turbulence, which officials said was fuelled by the anti-corruption campaign.

The nation does not formally have a paramount leader, but the head of the party effectively plays a more prominent role than others after Trong strengthened the powers of the role during his 13-year tenure.

Lam, a career security officer, had been seen as long aiming to become party chief, with experts calling the presidency a stepping stone for the top job.

It was not immediately clear whether he would keep both top jobs until the end of this legislative session in 2026, or