Vietnam's parliament to meet over 'personnel issues', says letter to legislators

HANOI — Vietnam's Parliament is set to meet on March 21 to discuss unspecified "personnel issues", according to a letter sent to legislators seen by Reuters, amid speculation of a reshuffle of the Communist-ruled country's top leadership.

Multiple Vietnamese officials and diplomats said the possible resignation of President Vo Van Thuong may be one of the personnel matters that the Parliament will discuss.

A Vietnamese official informed about the matter confirmed the meeting, but press offices for Vietnam's Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Parliament did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said: "The National Assembly Standing Committee decided to convene the 6th extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly to consider and decide on personnel issues."

It was signed by National Assembly general secretary Bui Van Cuong and sent to MPs.

It was unclear what decisions would be made at the special session, which comes after a state visit to Vietnam by the Dutch royal family slated for March 19 to 22 was postponed on March 14 "due to internal circumstances", according to a statement from the Dutch Royal House.

The National Assembly had in 2023 convened a special meeting in January to accept the sudden resignation of then President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who quit amid a wide and long-running campaign against corruption, which critics said could be used for political infighting.

Thuong, 53, was elected president in March 2023 and is regarded as being close to Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party and Vietnam's most powerful figure.

The President holds a largely ceremonial role but is one of the top four political positions in the South-east Asian