From top cop to reformist, Vietnam’s To Lam cements his grip

By Francesco Guarascio

Jan 23 (Reuters) – Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam, reappointed on Friday as the country’s most powerful official, has earned a reputation as an ambitious reformer, promoting the strengthening of private conglomerates while boosting police powers.

Lam’s initial stint at the top of the Communist Party was marked by rapid, sweeping reforms and a commanding style that impressed many foreign investors and boosted Vietnam’s stock market but also stirred discontent.

Less doctrinaire than his late predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong, Lam has prioritised growth – which is crucial to legitimise the party’s authoritarian power – despite concerns over financial risks, controversial infrastructure and favouritism.

Lam “is regarded as a strategic and visionary leader, likely influenced by his experience in the security and intelligence sectors,” said Le Hong Hiep, senior fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

In foreign affairs Lam has strived to keep good relations with all major powers, despite unilateral U.S. tariffs on Vietnamese goods that threatened access to the country’s largest foreign market.

STELLAR RISE

The 68-year-old Lam, son of a senior police officer, studied security, earned a PhD in law and rose through the public ranks. He became minister for public security in 2016, was promoted to four-star general nearly three years later and joined the party Politburo in 2021.

As police chief, he was a key enforcer of Trong’s sweeping anti-corruption drive launched in 2017, which led to the dismissal of hundreds of officials, and in 2023-2024 the resignation of two state presidents.

Lam emerged as the dominant figure of that tumultuous period. He was first appointed president in May 2024, and took the party helm after Trong died the following July.

Before his reappointment, Lam vowed to continue the corruption crackdown, although the campaign has eased under his leadership after criticism it was paralysing the public administration.

Lam relinquished the presidency a few months after becoming party chief – reluctantly, according to multiple officials. But he continued acting as de facto head of state, representing the country abroad and meeting foreign leaders.

He is now bidding to combine the two roles, like President Xi Jinping in neighbouring China – an attempt that Hiep said “could pose risks to Vietnam’s political system”, which has traditionally hinged on collective decision-making.

SECURITY, FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Under Lam, the security apparatus has vastly expanded, with the police gaining powers in lawmaking, project approvals, and the corporate world, while increasing controls.

He is known to involve himself directly in operations, having led anti-smuggling campaigns earlier in his career. More controversially, he has been viewed as the architect of the 2017 rendition of a Vietnamese national from Germany.

“Despite his long career as a security general, To Lam presents the appearance of an intellectual,” with a gentle speaking style and a passion for music and art, said Hiep.

As minister of public security, Lam oversaw approval of a large new opera house, Hanoi’s second, opened in 2023. A third, designed by Renzo Piano, is under construction.

On foreign policy, Lam initially pursued close ties with Washington, but after disappointing trade talks and the White House’s unilateral imposition of 20% tariffs on Vietnamese goods, he quietly edged closer to China. 

Lam is expected to continue balancing big powers under the “Bamboo Diplomacy” outlined by Trong, but “a major regional crisis may disrupt this multi-alignment strategy,” said Alexander Vuving of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in the United States.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Michael Perry)