Returning to Regular Programming
Returning to Regular Programming
A quick news update
Good morning! Welcome to the latest edition of the Vietnam Weekly, written by Ho Chi Minh City-based (and deeply jet-lagged) reporter Mike Tatarski. Today’s newsletter is exclusively for paying subscribers, with a brief preview for readers of the free version.
If you’re in the latter group and want to upgrade, you can do so below.
If you haven’t seen the Vietnam Weekly in a little while and wondered if something was wrong with your subscription, fear not: I was in Italy for two weeks and haven’t published anything since October 11th. (Might share some reflections on that trip later.)
Several readers reached out wondering what they had missed, which was flattering - it’s wonderful to know that people look forward to reading the newsletter. But breaks happen sometimes, though two weeks is rather long for me. In any case, I always give advance notice, and there won’t be any pauses for a while other than for a brief trip to Tokyo in late November and possibly the week of Christmas.
Anyway - today’s post is a quick catch-up, as a lot piled up and I want to clear some space for the rest of the week. I’m aiming to publish another subscriber-only edition before Friday, and the podcast returns next Monday.
On to the news.
Here’s what I’ll briefly get to today: Lương Cường’s election as president and sentencing in Trương Mỹ Lan’s second trial.
The Four Pillars Restored (Again)
Last Monday, the National Assembly elected Lương Cường as State President for the 2021-2026 term). Cường, who was named the permanent member of the Secretariat in May following Trương Thị Mai’s blazing furnace-induced resignation, is Vietnam’s fourth president in less than two years.
Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigned in January 2023, Võ Văn Thưởng resigned in March, and General Secretary Tô Lâm held the position for 152 days until Cường’s selection. (Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân briefly served as Acting President following both of those resignations.)
Cường’s election wasn’t a surprise and it put to rest lingering questions over whether Lâm would try to continue his dual role as General Secretary and President.