Vietnam's To Lam 'unanimously' re-elected party chief

In just 17 months as party chief, he has swept aside rivals and centralised authority in an aggressive reform drive officials describe as a "revolution".

The Southeast Asian nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, where the Communist Party has sought to deliver rapid growth to bolster its legitimacy.

In addition to remaining general secretary, Lam is also seeking the presidency -- the number two job in Vietnamese politics.

That move would echo the dominance of Chinese leaders like Xi Jinping and signal a shift away from Vietnam's historically more collaborative form of governance.

No official announcement was made, but analysts said the makeup of the 19-member politburo -- the party's highest decision-making body -- indicated he was likely to succeed in that goal.

Two main party factions are seen as vying for dominance, the security wing aligned with Lam and a more conservative military grouping.

Lam's faction dominated the new politburo, with his nearest rival -- defence chief Phan Van Giang -- relegated to seventh position.

"The way the list is presented -- and the optics around it -- strongly suggest To Lam is set to hold both posts," said Nguyen Khac Giang of Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

A photo published by state media as the five-yearly party congress closed showed a triumphant Lam flanked by allies Tran Thanh Man, Tran Cam Tu and Le Minh Hung -- the next three top-ranking politburo members.

That suggested the five "pillars" of Vietnam's collective leadership system will be held by the four men.

"Lam has successfully consolidated his power, his personal power and domination of the politburo," said Vietnam analyst Tuong Vu.

"The whole process showed that no one was able to stop him," he said, adding Lam "got his wish".

In a closing speech Lam expressed his "deepest gratitude for the trust given to us by the congress", adding the party would continue to work for the people "doing things quickly and correctly".
'Stunning success'
Elevated to party chief after general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's death in 2024, Lam has shocked the country with the pace of his changes.

He has eliminated whole layers of government, abolishing eight ministries or agencies and cutting nearly 150,000 jobs from the state payroll, while pushing ambitious rail and power projects.

Having cemented his position atop the party, he is expected to focus on spurring private sector, digital and technological growth as the manufacturing hub seeks to break into the club of upper middle-income countries by the end of the decade.

Vietnam has proved surprisingly resilient in the face of new 20 percent tariffs imposed by US leader Donald Trump, clocking eight percent growth last year, among the fastest in Asia.

But the balancing act between the US -- its main export market -- and its largest supplier China has grown tougher as Trump's administration has taken aim at illegal transshipment.

Lam also promised this week to continue fighting corruption, suggesting the sweeping anti-graft campaign analysts say he used to sideline rivals may not be finished.

The ruling party tolerates little dissent and regularly jails critics, more than 160 of whom are behind bars, according to Human Rights Watch.

But unlike in present-day China or the Kim dynasty's North Korea, political power in Vietnam has not previously been concentrated in one paramount leader.

Lam would be the first person to secure the top two jobs at a party congress -- the presidential nomination would need formal confirmation by the national assembly -- rather than stepping in following a holder's death.

Laura Schwartz, an analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said Lam will "continue to dominate policymaking" either way.