Vietnam party congress tests rule

Communists to set 5-year policy, plan

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To Lam takes his oath as Vietnam's president during the National Assembly's summer session, in this file photo taken in Hanoi on May 22, 2024. AFP

(AFP)

Vietnam's ruling Communist Party of Vietnam opens its twice-a-decade national congress today, a tightly managed political gathering that will determine the country’s leadership for the next five years and set policy priorities for the fast-growing Southeast Asian manufacturing hub.

As Vietnam's only legal political party, the Communist Party has traditionally governed through consensus-based decision-making, a system designed to prevent power from being concentrated in the hands of a single dominant leader. That model is now being tested as General Secretary To Lam seeks to consolidate influence by potentially holding both the party's top post and the presidency.