Vietnam‘s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has died at the age of 80 after prolonged illness, state media reported. He held the country’s most powerful position for 13 years. No further details were provided.
Vietnam’s President To Lam assumed Trong’s duties on Thursday when the party announced that the aging leader needed to prioritise medical treatment.
Although Vietnam officially has no paramount ruler, Soviet-educated Trong, as party general secretary, was the most powerful figure in the Communist-ruled nation and had held the position since 2011.
In 2021, Trong secured a third term after a rule limiting holders to two terms as party boss was waived, demonstrating his strength and significant political clout in a party that has ruled Vietnam for nearly half a century.
In recent months, he appeared fragile in public events and missed several top-level meetings.
After Trong’s death, the party now must decide whether Lam will serve as acting party general secretary until the current term ends after the next Congress in 2026, or if a new candidate will be elected earlier from within its ranks.
In 2017, Marxist-Leninist ideologue Trong initiated a China-style crackdown on corruption, known as the “blazing furnace.” Under this campaign, hundreds of officials were investigated for graft, and many were forced to resign, including cabinet ministers, a parliament chairman, and two state presidents.
Lam, a former chief of the powerful internal security agency, was a key figure and beneficiary of that campaign and was elected president in May after his predecessor resigned amid accusations of unspecified wrongdoing.
Vietnam’s President To Lam assumed Trong’s duties on Thursday when the party announced that the aging leader needed to prioritise medical treatment.
Although Vietnam officially has no paramount ruler, Soviet-educated Trong, as party general secretary, was the most powerful figure in the Communist-ruled nation and had held the position since 2011.
In 2021, Trong secured a third term after a rule limiting holders to two terms as party boss was waived, demonstrating his strength and significant political clout in a party that has ruled Vietnam for nearly half a century.
In recent months, he appeared fragile in public events and missed several top-level meetings.
After Trong’s death, the party now must decide whether Lam will serve as acting party general secretary until the current term ends after the next Congress in 2026, or if a new candidate will be elected earlier from within its ranks.
In 2017, Marxist-Leninist ideologue Trong initiated a China-style crackdown on corruption, known as the “blazing furnace.” Under this campaign, hundreds of officials were investigated for graft, and many were forced to resign, including cabinet ministers, a parliament chairman, and two state presidents.
Lam, a former chief of the powerful internal security agency, was a key figure and beneficiary of that campaign and was elected president in May after his predecessor resigned amid accusations of unspecified wrongdoing.