Vietnam’s Parliament Elects To Lam President, Consolidating Power

Overview

• Vietnam’s National Assembly, in a Tuesday vote where all 495 deputies present backed the slate, elected To Lam president and Le Minh Hung prime minister for five-year terms.
• Lam now holds both the Communist Party’s top post and the head-of-state role, a break from Vietnam’s recent practice of split leadership.
• In his address to lawmakers, he pledged peace, stability, and better living standards and said growth should come from science, technology, innovation, and digital change.
• Analysts say the consolidation could speed decisions and reforms, yet it raises the risk of tighter control and favoritism in the economy.
• The government is targeting near 10% annual growth, though first‑quarter expansion was 7.8% as global energy and trade shocks strain the outlook.