Vietnamese communist leader dies aged 80, creating power vacuum | Vietnam

Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and the country’s most powerful politician, has died at the age of 80, creating a power vacuum.

Trong died early Friday afternoon “after a period of illness,” according to his medical team, state media reported.

Trong held Vietnam’s most powerful post, general secretary of the ruling Communist Party since 2011, one of the longest-serving leaders in decades. He also served as president from 2018 to 2021.

During his tenure, he saw rapid economic growth and rebalanced relations with China and Vietnam’s former enemy, the United States. Trong was known for his “fiery furnace” of anti-corruption, which forced even prominent politicians, including former presidents, to resign.

Speculation about Trong’s health has been rife for months, fueled by his absences from recent meetings.

“Party Central Committee General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong passed away at 1:38 pm on July 19, 2024, at the 108 Central Military Hospital due to old age and serious illness,” Nhan Dan newspaper reported.

On Thursday, it was announced that he was stepping down as Communist Party chief, citing unspecified health issues, and that President To Lam would take office in his place. Trong was awarded the Gold Star medal, the country’s highest honor for civil servants, the same day.

Trong will be remembered for his anti-corruption campaigns, unprecedented in the party’s history. Since 2016, more than 139,000 party members have been punished for corruption – a crackdown so broad that it has been accused of having negative consequences for the economy, with officials reluctant to approve the endorsements for fear of being accused of wrongdoing.

By continuing these crackdowns, he has “consolidated an unprecedented level of power within the political system,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the Vietnam Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Any plans he had for an orderly transition of succession have not been realised, he added, and his death risks creating a power vacuum.

“I think this will lead to a very difficult period for Vietnam, for political allies who will have to negotiate among themselves about who will take over Nguyen Phu Trong’s position. This could lead to a succession crisis where different factions would not agree,” Mr Giang added.

Given Trong’s power and popularity, analysts say his successor is unlikely to deviate from his policies on the economy, foreign policy or lack of tolerance for government criticism.

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 160 people are now held in prison for peacefully exercising their civil and political rights.

Courts have convicted at least 28 human rights activists and sentenced them to long prison terms in the first 10 months of 2023, the group said.

In his foreign policy, Trong has pursued a “bamboo diplomacy” – “swaying with the winds” and avoiding taking sides in international conflicts – including the rivalry between the United States and China.

In 2015, he became the first Communist Party general secretary to make an official visit to the United States, where he met with former President Barack Obama.

Last year, Trong hosted US President Joe Biden and strengthened ties with Washington, as well as Australia and Japan. Chinese President Xi Jinping also paid a state visit three months later.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China said the Chinese people had lost a “good comrade, brother and friend,” Chinese state media reported.