Vietnam parliament elects military general Luong Cuong as president after months of political turmoil

“A RISE OF STRONG MEN”

With Cuong taking over the presidency, Vietnam is set to make changes in other positions, including his former role as secretary for the party’s central committee.

“I think there would be a lot of things for us to look at, (including) the political dynamics of Vietnam ahead of 2026, said ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Nguyen 

He pointed out that the appointment of Cuong, who has served in the Vietnamese army for over four decades, signals “a rise of strong men in Vietnamese politics”. 

Two-thirds of the 15 members in the politburo, the most powerful decision-making body in the country, are from the police and military. 

“That will not be a good long-term vision of Vietnam’s development, in which we would prefer to have a more technocratic and a ‘more civilian way’ of leadership, instead of having more strong men in the top echelon of the political ladder,” he added. 

“That would not really sound very positive even for To Lam, although he’s a police general. I think he wants to have more reform-minded politburo members and younger generations in the central committee and in the politburo for 2026.”

In parliament on Monday, the Communist Party’s top leadership vowed to carry out institutional reforms and seize economic growth.

The national assembly will sit for about a month to discuss laws and policies to boost growth, including steps to improve Vietnam’s energy structure and a high-speed railway.

Meanwhile, the business community is hoping economic decisions that have been delayed for years due to political uncertainties will now be sped up.