Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Vietnam: Observing the
Proprieties in Electing a New
President
March 2, 2023

The Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) Central Committee held a meeting/session (họp/
hội nghị) on Wednesday, 1st March. This meeting announced two decisions:

1. The decision to introduce personnel (nhân sự) for election to the position of
President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for the term 2021-2026.

2. To elect 3 additional members to the Central Inspection Committee (Ủy ban Kiểm
tra Trung ương) XIII term, including Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, Director of the Region I
Department, the Central Inspection Commission; Đinh Hữu Thành, Member of
Standing Committee of Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of Inspection
Committee of Quang Binh Provincial Party Committee; and Lê Văn Thành, Member of
Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Inspection
Committee of Can Tho City Party Committee.
Prior to the 1st March meeting of the Central Committee, there were rumours that
this meetintg would promote Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang to the Politburo
and elevate Phan Đình Trạc to Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat to fill the
vacancy if Võ Văn Thưởng was elected state president.
These personnel changes could still be the works to observe proprieties. For example,
the National Assembly could promote Trần Lưu Quang to Standing Deputy Prime
Minister in the Cabinet thus paving the way for the party Central Committee to elect
him to the Politburo.
If the National Assembly elects Võ Văn Thưởng state president, this would clear the
way for Phan Đình Trạc, the current Chair of the VCP Central Committee for Internal
Affairs, to be elevated to Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat to fill the vacancy.

It was also announced that the fifteenth National Assembly would hold its fourth
extraordinary session (Kỳ họp bất thường) in the morning on Thursday, 2nd March to
decide on the selection of the state president.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam: Observing the Proprieties in Electing

a New President,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, March 2, 2023. All
 2

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