As Vietnam prepared for the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin recently, the government quietly announced that the Communist Party chief in Hanoi, Dinh Tien Dung, was stepping down. He’s the latest victim of a campaign against corruption.

Hanoi

Vietnam's Communist Party chief steps down

As Vietnam prepared for the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the government quietly announced that the Communist Party chief in Hanoi, Dinh Tien Dung, was stepping down. This development is part of a broader anti-corruption campaign within the country.

General Secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phuong Truong, made a rare public appearance during Putin’s visit, indicating a return to balance at the top levels of the party. Recent changes within the leadership include the appointment of To Lam as the new president in mid-May, who formerly served as public security minister and spearheaded the anti-corruption drive, resulting in the resignation of numerous senior officials.

New regulations on ethics, particularly Regulation 144, have been cited as potentially forcing more officials to leave the party. This regulatory clampdown follows the exposure of a banking scandal where a property tycoon defrauded state banks of 27 billion US dollars with the aid of corrupt officials. The tycoon has been sentenced to death, illustrating the depth of corruption issues within the country.

The leadership aims to clean the Party’s reputation amid public trials and the disgrace of implicated officials. Despite the ideological legacy of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam has evolved into a modern market economy, presenting challenges for a Communist framework to govern. 



Vietnam's Communist Party chief steps down

Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting the General Secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phuong Truong, during his recent state visit. It was a rare public appearance for Nguyen, who's been suffering from poor health for several years, and a signal that some balance had returned to the top of the Communist Party. The political instability in Vietnam right now has become, you know, returned to a stable. You can also see that for the four pillars, the General Secretary, the President, the Prime Minister and also the Chairman of the National Assembly is now in the position already. The most obvious change is the appointment of a new president, To Lam, in mid-May. A former public security minister, he launched an anti-corruption campaign that's forced dozens of senior officials to resign. But as one dissident told me, new rules on ethics could force even more officials out of the party, known as Regulation 144. With that regulation, the party, theoretically, sink to zero. It's been, it destroy itself. The exposure of a recent banking scandal sent shockwaves through Vietnam. A property tycoon defrauded 27 billion US dollars from state banks with the help of corrupt officials. She's been sentenced to death and the public trial and disgrace of so many officials, a sign the problems run deep. The leadership want to clean the party, to save its reputation. But I don't think that they are going to success. The body of Ho Chi Minh lies in its mausoleum in the centre of Hanoi. And his ideology is still at the core of Vietnam's Communist Party. But the country has changed. It's now a modern market economy that will probably be unrecognisable to the man who led it to independence. It's the contradiction at the heart of Vietnam today. A rigid communist dogma trying to govern a freewheeling market economy. And a reminder to those in charge of their principal directive to serve the people. Tony Chang, Al Jazeera, Hanoi.

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