Vietnam: To Lam is New President
He will succeed Vo Van Thuong, who was forced to quit under pressure from the Communist Party over corruption cases
To Lam, former Minister of Public Security since 2016, has become Vietnam’s new president. 66-year-old To Lam was nominated by the Communist Party of Vietnam, the only legal party in the country, and parliament confirmed the nomination on May 22.
To Lam’s selection also has symbolic significance: as security minister, he launched a broad anti-corruption program, while previous president Vo Van Thuong was forced to resign after some episodes of corruption that affected other prominent posts. In a year and a half, two presidents and the speaker of parliament have resigned over wrongdoings that remain a mystery.
The duties of the president in Vietnam are very limited, but his choice indicates that To Lam could be the man appointed to the highest office in the country in the future – the post of head of the Communist Party. The mandate of current Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expires in 2026.
After his election, To Lam said he wanted to continue his fight against corruption with intransigence and perseverance. However, according to Reuters, these actions are blocking government administration and therefore foreign aid disbursements, and political instability is apparently slowing investment in the country.