Top leader wins second term to rule until 2030

Vietnam's top leader To Lam was appointed yesterday as head of the ruling Communist Party for the next five years, state media reported, as he pledged to turbocharge growth in the export-reliant nation.

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In the one-party state, Mr Lam was reelected "unanimously" to the country's most powerful job by 180 party officials from a newly-formed committee at the end of the five-yearly party congress, according to the Vietnam News Agency citing a press release from the party.

At a briefing being prepared to conclude the party congress, Mr Lam's name appeared under the title general secretary, and an official confirmed the party leader would be speaking.

During his brief prior stint as party chief since mid-2024, Mr Lam presided over fast growth underpinned by sweeping reforms that won him strong support but also criticism, as tens of thousands of civil servants lost their jobs while he promoted faster decision-making and less red tape.