Vietnam Party Leader Has Died

(LibertyInsider.org) – President Joe Biden sent US condolences to the Vietnamese people and Madam Ngô Thị Mận on the passing of 80-year-old Nguyễn Phú Trọng, who held the position of General Secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party until his death on July 19. Biden credited Trọng with strengthening relations between the US and Vietnam and creating a more stable region through reconciliation with the US and its allies.

In a White House statement, Biden praised Trọng as a visionary who fostered “deep ties between the American and Vietnamese people.” He said the leader nurtured “the friendship and partnership our countries enjoy today.” He noted the leader’s historic 2015 visit to the Obama White House was “a milestone.”

Nguyen Phu Trong, #Vietnam Communist Party chief who ushered in an era of strong ties with US, cracked down on corruption, died Friday due to "old age and serious illness," the government said. He was 80https://t.co/4BxHXMclSo

— Amy Chew (@1AmyChew) July 19, 2024

Notably, Trọng is reported to have fought against government corruption, ousting eight members of the country’s Politburo, the ruling body, since 2016, including two former presidents and a former Parliament head. Under his direction, the party also disciplined thousands of party officials. The Vietnamese leader reportedly considered corruption the party’s most dire threat to maintaining legitimacy.

While he received treatment for illness, Trọng appointed Vietnamese President To Lam to oversee the party as a caretaker on July 18. Lam pursued the General Secretary’s “Blazing Furnace” campaign against graft and corruption as Vietnam’s deputy minister of public security. In May, Lam became president after the previous president resigned after graft allegations emerged.

Political observers raised concerns over Trọng’s health after his 2019 hospitalization. Several media outlets also noted his extremely frail appearance when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his June visit to Vietnam.

Despite Trọng’s appointment of Lam and the Politburo’s request that Lam continue to “preside over” the Central Committee’s work, the Secretariat, and the Politburo, the elder statesman’s passing left a gaping political vacuum in the Asian nation. Most observers believe the party will confer the leadership position on Lam, but Trọng’s death presented a rare opportunity that some leaders could take to use the power they currently hold to consolidate more power.