The highlights this week: Vietnam’s Communist Party reappoints its general secretary , Myanmar’s junta declares victory in its pseudo-election , Indonesia and Vietnam join Trump’s Board of Peace , and scientists prove the world’s oldest cave art is in Indonesia.
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Southeast Asia Brief.
The highlights this week: Vietnam’s Communist Party reappoints its general secretary, Myanmar’s junta declares victory in its pseudo-election, Indonesia and Vietnam join Trump’s Board of Peace, and scientists prove the world’s oldest cave art is in Indonesia.
Vietnam’s To Lam Tightens Grip
To Lam was reappointed on Friday as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the country’s top political position.
The party congress ran Jan. 19-23. It is yet to be announced who will become president, as is the normal schedule. However, many predict Lam to also be appointed to this role.
The development would further concentrate power in Lam’s hands and end the collective leadership system that characterized Vietnam’s political system for decades.
Since first assuming office as general secretary in 2024, Lam has moved swiftly to boost growth and cement his grip on power. He has declared he wishes Vietnam to grow at 10 percent or more until 2030.
To this end, he has boosted the private sector and fired tens of thousands of civil servants.
Analysts I spoke to saw the congress as a success for Lam. “The main takeaway is that To Lam was given a very strong mandate to accelerate his reform,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a researcher in Vietnamese politics at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Continue Reading on Foreign Policy
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.