Move FM Global News

BANGKOK, Thailand: Vietnam’s top security official, To Lam, has been confirmed as the country’s new president.

This appointment follows his tenure overseeing police and intelligence operations, a period marked by accusations from rights groups of systematic suppression of basic liberties and international law violations by Vietnam’s secret service.

Vietnam’s National Assembly confirmed Lam, succeeding a predecessor who resigned amid a broad anti-corruption campaign shaking the country’s political and business spheres. Though largely ceremonial, the presidency places the 66-year-old Lam in a strong position to potentially become the next Communist Party general secretary, the most influential role in Vietnam, said Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

Current Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who began a third term in 2021, may not seek re-election after 2026 due to his age. Trong, an ideologue, has been a staunch opponent of corruption, aligning with Lam’s tenure as the top security official.

Following Lam’s presidential confirmation, Deputy Public Security Minister Tran Quoc To was appointed interim head of the ministry. Lam’s extensive career in the Ministry of Public Security began over four decades ago, with his appointment as minister in 2016 occurring during an intense anti-graft campaign that saw significant politburo turnover, including the ousting of two former presidents.

Lam’s leadership has seen many high-profile political investigations. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is another strong contender to succeed Trong, while the vice-speaker of Vietnam’s parliament was confirmed as National Assembly speaker on Monday after his predecessor resigned amid the anti-corruption drive.

This political turbulence has unsettled investors as Vietnam seeks to position itself as an attractive alternative for companies diversifying supply chains away from China. Despite a surge in foreign investment, especially in high-tech manufacturing, political scandals and a death sentence for a real estate tycoon accused of massive embezzlement have injected uncertainty into the market. Consequently, economic growth dropped to 5.1 percent last year from 8 percent in 2022.

Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have strongly criticized Vietnam during Lam’s leadership for harassment and intimidation of critics. In 2021 alone, courts convicted at least 32 people for critical government opinions, while police arrested at least 26 others on what were described as fabricated charges.

Under Lam, civil society faced further restrictions, and foreign aid limitations were tightened. His tenure also saw the introduction of laws to censor social media and the imprisonment of climate activists.

Lam’s appointment as president cements Vietnam’s status as a “police state,” according to Ben Swanton of The 88 Project, who anticipates increased repression and censorship.

Lam’s controversial tenure includes the 2017 abduction of Vietnamese businessman and former politician Trinh Xuan Thanh in Berlin, which German authorities condemned as a violation of international law. Thanh was later sentenced to life imprisonment in Vietnam, and the incident strained Germany-Vietnam relations, resulting in diplomatic consequences.