Nguyen Thanh Nghi’s position as Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee was blown away after only seven months. This shows the unpredictability of personnel arrangements in the Communist Party of Vietnam. Even those with inside information said they could not have expected such unpredictable personnel changes.
In fact, this personnel change at the top level was not an arrangement at all, but a struggle for each other bit by bit. Whichever side won, they would try to stuff their cadres in. Former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung won the move in early 2025 and his son Nguyen Thanh Nghi benefited. Seven months later, the former government leader lost his position, so his oldest son was pushed away. A position that had only been in place for seven months and had changed, clearly was not an arrangement but a struggle.
It is worth mentioning that this time the competition is not between one political group and another, but between officials who are tentatively called on the same side. Tran Luu Quang is a person with a family relationship with incumbent General Secretary To Lam who considers former PM Dung as his big brother. Facing pressure from both sides, the incumbent party chief chose his family instead of choosing a partner. And this once again shows To Lam’s priority order of help. First, it is a relative, second is a fellow countryman, and third is a partner. In these relationships, a partnership can easily turn into an enemy.
Even if Tran Luu Quang holds the position of Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, it is not 100% certain that he will be Secretary of the City Party Committee after the 14th National Congress. The political arena is still fighting. Especially the family of former PM Dung, after this bitter defeat, he will find a way to regain what he has lost. Dung is a resourceful person, not easily defeated in this game.
At the 11th Plenum of the Central Committee in April, the preliminary list of 18 Politburo members for next term was finalized. However, with the current personnel changes, it is very likely that the number of Politburo members will increase. With the position of Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Commission, Nguyen Thanh Nghi is likely to retain his Politburo membership. Tran Luu Quang will certainly be a Politburo member. Therefore, it is very likely that the Politburo will swell further.
Every congress calls for “choosing talented and virtuous cadres, choosing worthy officials” but what is the reality? No talented and virtuous people are chosen, only corrupt officials who exploit national resources, make policies to sabotage the country, and destroy people’s lives. People are becoming more and more miserable, life is becoming more and more suffocating.
In the 2021-2025 term, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, with absolute power in his hands, was the Head of the congress’s Personnel Subcommittee. It was thought that he had chosen “wise” officials but it turned out that this was the worst term in terms of choosing cadres. There had never been a term in which seven Politburo members had to leave their positions. Personnel changes constantly.
In a Party where factions keep emerging, and the competition for seats is continuous and relentless. Important positions are constantly changing, no one can rest assured to make policies. For example, the policy of one million social housing units that Nguyen Thanh Nghi implemented from the beginning of 2022. It was expected to be basically completed by 2031. However, after only three years, Nguyen Thanh Nghi left the position of Minister of Construction. Then the policy was unfinished, perhaps it lived a life of idleness for a while and was forgotten. Nguyen Thanh Nghi was busy fighting for power and had no time to implement any policies. Even the position of Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, he had to leave before sitting down, so how could he make any policies?
Personnel changes are a sign of internal instability. The Communist Party is weak and not strong enough to lead the country.
Tran Chuong-Thoibao.de
