Vietnam parliament elects military general Luong Cuong as president after months of political turmoil

The 67-year-old has become the country’s fourth president in the past three years. 

Vietnam’s parliament elected military general Luong Cuong as its new president on Monday (Oct 21). 

The 67-year-old has become the country’s fourth president in the past three years, following an unprecedented period of political upheaval.

He replaced To Lam, who became president in May after his two predecessors were ousted in an anti-graft fight. Lam was named general secretary of Vietnam’s governing Communist Party in August. 

BRINGING STABILITY TO VIETNAMESE POLITICS

Before the promotion, Cuong was the secretary of the party’s central committee – the fourth highest position in the hierarchy of the Communist Party.

Observers believe his appointment is timed to herald in a new period before the party’s congress in 2026. 

“I think with the elevation of general Luong Cuong, Vietnamese politics will move to a relatively stable period in anticipation of the Party Congress in 2026,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute think tank. 

“This is a signal that the political system will revert to the principle of collective leadership, instead of consolidating more power for General Secretary To Lam.”

As president, Lam proved “his credibility as a good leader”, said Nguyen. “I think he travelled a lot, and he gave a lot of commitments and promises to the business communities (and) to foreign investors.”

Over the last few years, Vietnam’s politics has gone through various changes amid the anti-corruption campaign and power infighting.

The uncertainty intensified following the death of former party chief Nguyen Phu Trong in July, and the rise of Lam, formerly the police chief at the Ministry of Public Security.

“A RISE OF STRONG MEN”

With Cuong taking over the presidency, Vietnam is set to make changes in other positions, including his former role as secretary for the party’s central committee.

“I think there would be a lot of things for us to look at, (including) the political dynamics of Vietnam ahead of 2026, said ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Nguyen 

He pointed out that the appointment of Cuong, who has served in the Vietnamese army for over four decades, signals “a rise of strong men in Vietnamese politics”. 

Two-thirds of the 15 members in the politburo, the most powerful decision-making body in the country, are from the police and military. 

“That will not be a good long-term vision of Vietnam’s development, in which we would prefer to have a more technocratic and a ‘more civilian way’ of leadership, instead of having more strong men in the top echelon of the political ladder,” he added. 

“That would not really sound very positive even for To Lam, although he’s a police general. I think he wants to have more reform-minded politburo members and younger generations in the central committee and in the politburo for 2026.”

In parliament on Monday, the Communist Party’s top leadership vowed to carry out institutional reforms and seize economic growth.

The national assembly will sit for about a month to discuss laws and policies to boost growth, including steps to improve Vietnam’s energy structure and a high-speed railway.

Meanwhile, the business community is hoping economic decisions that have been delayed for years due to political uncertainties will now be sped up.

By Tung Ngo & Calvin Yang – ChannelNewsAsia.com – October 22, 2004