Vietnam’s To Lam wins second term, extends top position for 5 more years

General Secretary To Lam will continue to lead Vietnam’s Communist Party amid pledges to continue rapid reforms.Published On 23 Jan 2026Vietnam’s Communist Party ⁠has ​re-appointed To ‍Lam as its ‍general ⁠secretary, extending his top leadership position in the Southeast Asian nation for the next five years.To Lam was “unanimously” re-elected to the post of general secretary, according ‌to an announcement made ‌at ‌the conclusion of the party’s five-yearly ⁠congress in the capital Hanoi on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump revokes Canada’s invitation to join Board of Peacelist 2 of 4Trump says US still ‘watching Iran‘ as ‘massive’ fleet heads to Gulf regionlist 3 of 4Australian, Palestinian lawyers seek police probe of Israeli presidentlist 4 of 4Analyst breaks down map of Trump’s Gaza planend of listThe party central committee “absolutely unanimously elected Comrade To Lam to continue holding the position of General Secretary”, the party said in a statement.Tran Thanh Man, chairman of Vietnam’s National Assembly, said the party chief had received 180 votes out of 180 to remain in the top job.Lam’s re-election as party chief will send a reassuring message to foreign investors who regularly cite political stability as a key factor in Vietnam’s appeal as a pro-business environment.Lam, 68, is also seeking to become president, with a decision on that position ‌expected to be announced later.Vietnam’s re-elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam is seen on a screen as he speaks during the closing session of the Vietnam" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12806" data-entity-type="organization">Communist Party of Vietnam’s (CPV) 14th National Congress, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi, on Friday [Nhac Nguyen/AFP]Earlier this week, addressing hundreds of congress delegates seated in red-upholstered chairs in a red-carpeted conference hall under a towering statue of the Communist Party’s founder and liberation struggle hero, Ho Chi Minh, Lam promised to continue fighting corruption and ensure annual growth above 10 percent through to 2030.