To Lam elected as Vietnam’s top leader

Vietnamese President To Lam has been elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the country’s most powerful position.

He won 100% approval from the 13th Party Central Committee in a vote on Saturday, state media reported.

The appointment comes two weeks after Nguyen Phu Trong died at the age of 80 after serving for 13 years as general secretary.

Lam took over Trong’s duties on an interim basis the day before his death was announced. Lam, 67, was elected president by the National Assembly in May after serving as public security minister. 

The previous president, Vo Van Thuong, was forced to step down amid corruption allegations, one of several senior leaders forced out in the past year as part of the “blazing furnace” crackdown on corruption that had been spearheaded by Trong.

Speaking on Saturday, Lam vowed to continue his work.

“This campaign must be carried out decisively and thoroughly to defeat the internal enemy,” Lam said, according to the Voice of Vietnam website.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations to Lam, saying he was ready to work with the general secretary to build “a China-Vietnam community with a shared future,” the Xinhua news agency reported.

Vietnam has made no announcement about whether Lam will continue to serve as president along with his new role.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.