Vietnam’s top leader pushes anti-corruption fight

Vietnam’s new Communist Party chief To Lam told the country’s parliament Monday to press ahead with a drive against corruption – Copyright AFP Nhac NGUYEN

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief told the country’s rubber-stamp parliament Monday to press ahead with a drive against corruption, which analysts say has been used for internal faction-fighting.

To Lam took over as Communist Party general secretary in August after the death of his predecessor and was making his first speech Monday as top leader to National Assembly delegates.

A major anti-graft purge begun by the late Nguyen Phu Trong has swept up dozens of business leaders and senior government figures, including two presidents and three deputy prime ministers since 2021.

Lam has enthusiastically pursued the drive, although analysts say he has weaponised anti-corruption investigations to take down political rivals.

On Monday, at the start of the autumn session of the country’s national assembly, Lam called on parliamentarians to tighten discipline in order to “fight against negative phenomena”.

Over the past year, more than 10,000 people were tried in around 4,800 trials as part of the anti-corruption fight, Vietnam’s chief judge Le Minh Tri said last week, according to state media.

Later in the session, the parliament unanimously approved army general Luong Cuong as Vietnam’s new president — the fourth person to hold the job in less than two years.

The president in Vietnam occupies a largely ceremonial role in Vietnam’s four-pillar leadership structure, and Cuong takes over the role from Lam, who has unusually held the position alongside his job as general secretary.

Cuong, who has spent his whole career in the army, is not seen as a potential rival to Lam, say analysts.

“By appointing him, the ‘four pillars’ mechanism is restored, but it does not create a potential power holder who could challenge To Lam in 2026,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, referring to Vietnam’s next party congress.

An unusual period of political upheaval in the ruling Communist party saw Nguyen Xuan Phuc resign from the presidency in January 2023 and his successor Vo Van Thuong relinquish the role in March 2024.

Both admitted to “violations and mistakes that badly influenced the prestige of the party and state”.

Lam was deputy head of the steering committee on anti-corruption before he was appointed general secretary in August.

The campaign against graft has proved popular with the public, but analysts have warned the turmoil is threatening the country’s reputation for stability.

With many fearful of being caught in its crosshairs, everyday transactions within business and government alike have slowed.