At the end of 2023, international news agency Bloomberg analyzed the Vietnamese political situation, mentioning signs of infighting within the leadership, saying:
“Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s political life fluctuates with the ups and downs of the economy and bad internal instability.”
According to Bloomberg, disagreements in opinion within Vietnam’s current leadership, among factions within the Party, show no signs of abating.
In particular, the online community paid attention to the relationship between PM Chinh and a figure with overwhelming power today, General To Lam – Minister of Public Security.
Dan Viet newspaper on February 27 reported, “The Government Inspectorate requested the People’s Committee of Hung Yen province to review violations related to 19 projects.” The news said that the Government Inspectorate discovered a number of shortcomings and violations in 19 construction projects in Hung Yen province and requested the People’s Committee of Hung Yen province to review and clarify responsibilities.
What does the above have to do with the current race for the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam? Because General Lam is from Hung Yen, and according to analysts, he is trying to appear as a bright candidate for this most important seat. Meanwhile, candidates such as Vo Van Thuong, Vuong Dinh Hue and Pham Minh Chinh, are considered more likely, because they are in the “four pillars” – the most powerful group in the Politburo.
The Ministry of Public Security under Minister To Lam has a large number of leaders who are Hung Yen compatriots with him. So much so that there are detractors who say, “If you want to be the leader of the Ministry of Public Security right now, you must be from Hung Yen.”
A compatriot and close ally of To Lam is the current General Director of the Voice of Vietnam, Do Tien Sy. Sy is a member of the 13th Party Central Committee, and former Secretary of the Hung Yen Provincial Party Committee. Before the 8th Plenum in October 2023, Sy published the article “We have let cadres who are not virtuous and talented enough to join the 13th Central Committee” on the website of the Voice of Vietnam. This is considered a message that To Lam sent to General Secretary Trong.
The above-mentioned international news agency once assessed that two Deputy Prime Ministers were thrown out from the end of 2022. By the beginning of 2023, it was the turn of State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to be “resigned” because this man was one of the people looking at the General Secretary’s position.
According to observers, this shows that, as it has become a common practice, any “comrade” who intends to become the party chief will be mercilessly eliminated. Officials such as Dinh The Huynh, Tran Dai Quang, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, are examples.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan – Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Advanced International Joint Stock Company (AIC), is said to be Chinh’s lover, and has become his weak point.
PM Chinh has become a thorn in Trong’s side. From the 5th to the 7th Plenum of the 13th Central Committee, Chinh had to be confused and insecure, because Trong did not hide his goal of ousting the incumbent PM to strengthen the position of top legislator Vuong Dinh Hue.
Mr. Le Hong Hiep of the ISEAS Research Institute in Singapore once commented: “Some high-ranking party members want Chinh to be ousted, because if he is still sitting there, he could be an obstacle for others.”
General Secretary Trong has made efforts to promote the arrest of Ms. Nhan, since mid-2022. Before the 7th Plenum of the 13th Central Committee (May 2023), General Trong did not hide what was just mentioned, publicly affirming to Hanoi voters, that “you can’t even hide.”
Experts revealed that in response to To Lam’s abuse of power, Trong wanted to appoint Phan Dinh Trac to lead the Minister of Public Security, instead of To Lam. Therefore, PM Chinh’s counterattack “requesting Hung Yen province to review violations related to 19 projects” is also a move aimed at To Lam.
From the end of 2023 until now, Lam has made unusual moves. He continuously arrested and expanded investigations into provincial officials with connections to high-ranking officials. The arrest in Lam Dong, the area of Truong Thi Mai – Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat and Head of the Central Organizing Committee, is an example.
That is why it is understandable that Lam will struggle to stay on the list of “key” personnel of the 14th Congress. And most likely, coming here, General Secretary Trong will continue to create more pressure to eliminate PM Chinh, in the race to the General Secretary position.
Chinh, former Head of the Central Organizing Committee, is a former senior official of the Party. Furthermore, he is the Deputy Head of the Human Resources Subcommittee of the 13th Congress, General Secretary Trong’s right-hand man in human resources work, and up to now, Chinh has also been careless, something that cannot be overlooked./.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
