Vietnam’s To Lam eyes supreme power, seeks presidency at party congress

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Agence France-PresseJanuary 17, 2026 at 01:53 AM

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Vietnam's Communist Party is holding its five-yearly congress next week, where General Secretary To Lam aims to consolidate power. Lam, who has led the party for 17 months, is seeking the additional role of president, mirroring China's leadership structure. If successful, this move would signal the dominance of his security-focused faction. Vietnam, a rapidly growing economy with a population of 100 million, faces challenges including US-China trade tensions and domestic environmental and social pressures. Lam has pursued anti-corruption efforts, streamlined bureaucracy, and accelerated infrastructure investment since taking office. He is expected to remain the party's top leader.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Hanoi 30% 14th Congress of the Vietnamese Communist Party 40% Xi Jinping 50% China ×260% United States 60% Communist Party of Vietnam ×280% To Lam ×490% Vietnam 90%

Keywords

vietnam 100% to lam 90% communist party 80% party congress 70% presidency 70% economic growth 60% anti-corruption 60% one-party state 50% political power 50% xi jinping 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Score: 0.10

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South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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vietnam to lam communist party party congress presidency economic growth anti-corruption one-party state political power xi jinping

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