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Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s most powerful leader who oversaw the country’s emergence as a manufacturing powerhouse and directed a controversial crackdown on corruption, has died aged 80.
Trong, general secretary of the Communist party for 13 years, caused rare political upheaval in the south-east Asian country with his anti-corruption measures. He died on Friday due to “old age and serious illness”, state media reported, after ailing for months.
His death raises questions over succession at a crucial time for Vietnam, which has emerged as an alternative manufacturing hub to China amid efforts by companies across the world to reduce dependence on Beijing.
Trong consolidated power into his hands during his tenure and weakened the other parts of Vietnam’s four-pillar leadership system — which includes not only his post as Communist party chief, but also the president, the prime minister and the chair of the National Assembly.
“Vietnam is potentially heading to a very uncertain period of leadership transition,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute. “Any potential successor will struggle to fill the void left by Trong.”
He said President To Lam, who was earlier this week made the interim party chief due to Trong’s ill health, is the frontrunner, though infighting to succeed Trong would continue ahead of the party congress in 2026.
Lam holding two posts simultaneously would lead to more concerns over power consolidation, he said.
Trong had become Vietnam’s most influential leader since Ho Chi Minh.
As party chief from 2011 and the country’s president between 2018 and 2021, he played a central role in Vietnam’s economic rise. Vietnam has attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment from companies across the world, becoming an important link in the supply chain for companies such as Apple and Samsung.
Trong deftly balanced Hanoi’s relationship with the global superpowers, maintaining close ties with the US, China and Russia. He forged ties with Vietnam’s former foe, the US, by upgrading the relationship between the two countries to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” — the highest level of diplomatic ties afforded by Hanoi.
He also drew criticism because during his leadership the Vietnamese government tightened control over news media, social media and civil society. In 2021, he was elected party chief for an unprecedented third term after the party decided to exempt him from the two-term rule.
His defining policy was an anti-corruption drive called “blazing furnace”, in which thousands of government officials were disciplined and many prosecuted. Two presidents and two deputy prime ministers quit after being accused of violations, triggering political instability that has paralysed government activity and affected economic growth.
In April, real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death for her role in a $12bn fraud. Critics say the government’s political opponents have also been targeted in the crackdown.
Peter Mumford, south-east Asia head for Eurasia Group, said the anti-corruption campaign might ease off after Trong’s death. “The anti-corruption campaign may soften, in turn reducing the unintended side effect of bureaucratic paralysis that has created increasingly strong headwinds to economic growth in recent years. This will be welcomed by investors.”
