Vietnam’s Communist Party Congress Meets to Pick New Leaders

Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party has convened its five-yearly congress to select new leaders and set key political and economic priorities for the coming term, as the country navigates rapid growth, corruption fallout, and mounting trade pressure from the United States.
The high-profile congress, which began this week, is the most important political event in the one-party state. It determines the direction of economic and foreign policy and appoints the party’s top leadership, including the powerful position of general secretary.
Tô Lâm, 68, who assumed the role in August 2024 following the death of his predecessor Nguyễn Phú Trọng, is widely expected to retain his position. His reappointment is seen by observers as a near certainty, with all leadership candidates selected in advance through internal party processes.
Some 1,600 party delegates are attending the congress, which will approve policy documents for the next five years and elect a new Central Committee of around 200 members. From this group, 17 to 19 members of the Politburo — the party’s highest decision-making body — will be chosen, including the general secretary. The Vietnamese public plays no direct role in selecting national leaders, and voting outcomes are typically near-unanimous.
Vietnam’s economy, the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia, has expanded at more than 6% annually for decades. However, the government has set a steep growth target of 10% for 2026 — a goal analysts say will be difficult to meet.
Despite US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs of 20% on Vietnamese goods — down from an initially threatened 46% — official figures show that exports to the United States rose by a record 28%. Still, the tariff policy remains a looming risk to Vietnam’s export-led growth model.
Under Tô Lâm’s leadership, Vietnam has pursued administrative reform, national development initiatives, and private-sector expansion. A former senior police official, he has also centralized power and expanded the authority of the public security ministry. He has pledged to transform Vietnam into an upper-income, knowledge-based economy by 2045, declaring what he calls an “era of national rise.”
Corruption remains a major concern. Two former presidents were forced out of office following corruption scandals, highlighting ongoing governance challenges. Party leaders view sustained economic performance as critical to maintaining the Communist Party’s legitimacy.
The new leadership lineup will be announced on 25 January, the final day of the congress, when the general secretary will deliver the closing speech.
Meanwhile, reports from Reuters and Bloomberg suggest that Tô Lâm is seeking to merge the roles of general secretary and president into a single position — a move that could further consolidate power. He briefly held both roles in 2024, and his predecessor did the same between 2018 and 2021, though both instances were temporary.
Legislative elections are scheduled for 15 March, and the newly elected National Assembly is expected to convene in April to formally appoint senior government leaders.
As Vietnam positions itself as a key manufacturing hub and an alternative to China in global supply chains, party leaders face the dual challenge of sustaining growth while managing geopolitical and trade tensions that could shape the country’s future trajectory.