[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Nguyen Phu Trong (76), the top-ranking power figure in Vietnam, has succeeded in securing a third term as General Secretary of the Communist Party.
On the 31st, local media reported that the Communist Party of Vietnam held a Central Committee meeting a day before the closing of the 13th National Congress and re-elected General Secretary Trong as the next General Secretary. The term is five years.
He first rose to the top power position in 2011 as Chairman of the National Assembly and has now succeeded in a third term following 2016 and this year. With this, he has become the longest-serving General Secretary since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. The age limit of 65 for re-election was also exceptionally waived in the form of a 'special candidate,' as was the case in 2016.
Nguyen Phu Trong, the top power figure in Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party / Photo by Yonhap News
General Secretary Trong assumed the presidency after the death of then State President Tran Dai Quang in 2018, establishing strong leadership. He is the first since former President Ho Chi Minh, the founding father of Vietnam, to concurrently hold two of the so-called 'Big 4' positions.
Born in Hanoi, northern Vietnam, and educated in the former Soviet Union, he is a prominent socialist theorist and classified as a moderate centrist with pro-China tendencies. Due to his advanced age, there were speculations that he might retire this time due to health issues, but he is known to have received strong support due to political stability and a strong commitment to anti-corruption campaigns.
The second-ranking power position, the presidency, is reported to have been succeeded by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Pham Minh Chinh, Party Committee Chairman, is reportedly appointed as the successor to the Prime Minister, and Vuong Dinh Hue, Hanoi Party Secretary, is designated as the successor to the Chairman of the National Assembly.
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