HANOI, Vietnam — In a significant political development concluding Vietnam’s pivotal National Party Congress, To Lam has secured re-election as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party. The decision, reached Friday, solidifies his position at the helm of the nation’s political leadership without immediate clarification on whether he will concurrently assume the presidency.
This political gathering, serving as the country’s most crucial conclave, unfolded against the backdrop of Vietnam’s paramount national objective: achieving high-income economic status by 2045. In pursuit of this transformative vision, the Congress established an aggressive economic benchmark, targeting average annual GDP growth exceeding 10% for the period spanning 2026 to 2030.
The composition of Vietnam’s supreme decision-making body, the Politburo, also saw renewal with the election of 19 members. Should To Lam ultimately consolidate power by obtaining both the general secretary and presidential roles, he would command unprecedented authority not witnessed in decades, drawing parallels to the centralized leadership model observed with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This potential consolidation marks a critical juncture for Vietnam’s political trajectory and its ambitious socioeconomic aspirations.