Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Bidding bribery galore

Good morning! Welcome to the latest edition of the Vietnam Weekly exclusively for paying subscribers, written by Ho Chi Minh City-based reporter Mike Tatarski.

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I haven’t revisited the anti-corruption campaign recently, so there’s a lot to cover.

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While the blazing furnace-induced political rumor mill has slowed considerably from its hyperactive pace, top leaders have made it clear that the campaign isn’t going anywhere.

Last week the Central Public Security Party Committee held a conference to review the first half of 2024. President Tô Lâm said the fight against corruption remained “non-stop” with “no forbidden zones, no exceptions, regardless of who the person is."

General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng likened the police force to a “sword” in the corruption fight while praising their work.

Yesterday, the Politburo and the Central Party Secretariat held a hybrid national conference (with almost 1.3 million attendees) to disseminate a regulation issued in May on “revolutionary ethical standards” for members of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Standing member of the Secretariat Lương Cường, who replaced Trương Thị Mai after her May resignation, said during the event that the government must overcome “mistakes and weaknesses of the past” which led to the “wrong people” being selected for important roles.

This is part of the lengthy run-up to the 2026 National Congress, nominees for which Lương Cường said must have “political courage, a firm ideological stance, ethics, a clean lifestyle, be dynamic, creative, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common work.”

What does all of this look like as the anti-corruption campaign carries on?