Vietnam’s Leader Consolidates Power and Pushes Rapid Reform

To Lam, already Vietnam’s top leader, emerged from the Communist Party congress with a sharper grip on power and the unusual dual roles of party chief and president, a break from the country’s recent power-sharing norms. At a news conference after the new Politburo list was announced he declared, “This time, what’s more important is action.” A former security chief with a Ph.D., Mr.

Lam is a pro-business reformer with a taste for the good life; the profile notes his preference for fine wine and Kenny G. He has presented a bold goal to make Vietnam rich and influential by 2045, and critics say he built his bloc of loyalists by sidelining rivals during an anti-corruption push.

His agenda includes sweeping changes: merging 63 provinces into 34, enforcing party rules that bar provincial leaders from serving where they come from, and Politburo resolutions prioritizing technology, private enterprise, business-friendly law and more proactive international integration (Resolutions 57, 68, 66 and 59).

Vietnam

to lam, vietnam, communist party, president, politburo, anti-corruption, province mergers, provincial leaders, private enterprise, technology policy