The 440 members of the Vietnamese National Assembly unanimously appointed General Luong Cuong to the essentially honorary position of President of the Republic, the public television channel announced on Monday, October 21. He succeeds To Lam, who became general secretary of the Communist Party over the summer.
Lam’s two predecessors as president resigned in 2023 and 2024 following corruption cases. The president is officially head of state, but power is exercised by the general secretary of the Communist Party.
In her first speech before the Assembly, To Lam advocated before the vote for a reinforcement of the anti-corruption campaign called “burning hell”, which has caused spectacular convulsions in a country more accustomed to behind-the-scenes negotiations, which give a façade of stability capable of attracting investors.
Under the cover of the fight against corruption, To Lam maneuvered for years to remove his rivals from the race to succeed Nguyen Phu Trong, his predecessor at the head of the Party, who died in July. Over the past year, more than 10,000 people were tried as part of this campaign, according to Lê Minh Tri, president of the national highest court.
