Hanoi, Vietnam—Vietnam’s communist party handed the reins of power Thursday to the country’s largely ceremonial president, To Lam, as its 80-year-old leader and general secretary temporarily stood down for health reasons.
The politburo appointed Lam, 67, to take over as both the party and country’s caretaker leader while current General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong focused “on active treatment,” the Vietnamese Communist Party said in an online statement.
The party gave no indication of how long Lam would be assigned to the role, nor did it address why Trong required medical treatment.
But one analyst suggested the rare announcement on the sensitive issue signalled the arrival of a new leader who could remain in power for years to come, calling it a “total victory” for Lam.
Lam would lead the work of the party central committee, the politburo and the secretariat, according to the official announcement.
“The Politburo calls on the entire party, people and army to have absolute trust in the party’s leadership and state management,” the statement said.
Upheaval
The country’s communist regime, which is in the midst of a complete overhaul, has undergone a series of upheavals in recent months, with ministers, business leaders and two presidents all falling from grace as part of a vast anti-corruption campaign.
Lam served as Vietnam’s public security minister before being voted in as president in May by Vietnam’s rubber-stamp parliament after his predecessor was forced to resign.
Analysts said at the time that Lam, who was deputy head of the steering committee on anti-corruption matters, had weaponized investigations to take down his political rivals.
In his first remarks as president, Lam said he was “determined to fight corruption and negative phenomena.”
Benoit de Treglode, research director at the Institute for Strategic Research at France’s military academy in Paris, told Agence France Presse (AFP) Thursday that his designation as interim leader signalled “the total victory of To Lam.”
“He is an extremely strong statesman, supported by a ministry at the heart of the Vietnamese political project,” he said, adding that Lam’s interim leadership could last until the party congress in January 2026.
“We will witness a personalization of power around him, which will lead to political stability” and a movement towards “continuity, and not rupture,” he continued.
Headed by the party general secretary, Vietnam’s leadership structure gives the president the second-most authority, and also includes the prime minister and the head of the National Assembly.
Hard line
Trong’s poor health has fueled widespread speculation that he will not be able to stay in power until the 2026 party congress, which is expected to appoint a successor.
In office since 2011, Trong has enjoyed remarkable longevity in his role, which rights groups say has coincided with increasing authoritarianism.
Known for being a technocrat and on good terms with Beijing, he had structured the party around himself, benefiting from a decade of economic growth that has strengthened his legitimacy.
Lam has long been considered one of the most serious candidates to succeed Trong, and was noted for the hard line he adopted when he was Minister of Public Security.
Three years ago, he caused a public outcry after a video was released showing him eating a steak covered in gold leaf at an upmarket London restaurant, shortly after laying a wreath at Karl Marx’s grave.
A few months later, the regime jailed a street vendor for posting a parody video that went viral.
There is little room for dissent against one-party rule in Vietnam, with critical voices subject to intimidation, harassment and travel restrictions.
