Vietnam’s president is confirmed as the new Communist Party chief

Vietnamese President To Lam was confirmed as the new chief of the Communist Party on Saturday, succeeding his predecessor who passed away on July 19. Lam will assume the role of general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the country’s most influential political position, as reported by state media. It is unclear whether Lam will continue serving as president.

The previous general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, had a significant impact on Vietnamese politics since assuming the party leadership in 2011. He was re-elected for a third term as general secretary in 2021 and was known for his strong stance against corruption within the party. In his inaugural address as the Communist Party chief, Lam emphasized the urgent need to uphold the party’s leadership.

He committed to carrying forward the legacies of his predecessor, particularly the anti-corruption campaign that has shaken the country’s political and business elites, as well as a pragmatic foreign policy approach known as “bamboo diplomacy” coined by Trong, which emphasizes flexibility in global geopolitics. Lam previously spent over four decades in the Ministry of Public Security before assuming the role of minister in 2016. As Vietnam’s top security official, he spearheaded Trong’s extensive anti-corruption efforts until May when he assumed the presidency following his predecessor’s resignation due to implications of the anti-graft campaign.

According to Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, significant shifts in Vietnam’s strategic approach are unlikely, although it remains to be seen how Lam, with his limited governance experience, will lead. Giang also suggested that Lam’s promotion may signal an end to the internal discord that has affected the party in recent years. Giang added that the party will vote for the general secretary again in 2026, and Lam’s performance will be a determining factor. “For now, however, it seems a new era has dawned,” he concluded.