Vietnamese politicians rarely, if ever, express emotion during their heavily scripted public speeches. Yet Nguyen Phu Trong, the hard-line general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) who passed away last week, deviated from this stoic tradition more than a decade ago.
In the concluding speech of a top-level party conclave in October 2012, Trong choked up as he apologized for the shortcomings and persistent issues in party-building efforts as well as the “moral corruption” and “negative behavior” among VCP members. He was alluding to the failed attempt that he initiated to oust then-Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, a charismatic and influential figure besieged by allegations of economic mismanagement, greed, and cronyism.
In early 2012 , Trong had spearheaded a motion that was designed to overhaul anti-corruption efforts and curtail Dung’s influence. However, the party’s 175-member Central Committee shot down the proposal to take disciplinary action against Dung in the October 2012 meeting, throwing a lifeline to Dung’s political career. This rejection was a testament to the increasing power of the committee at that time and the substantial clout that Dung wielded within it.
The committee was stacked with Dung’s protégés and allies—cabinet members and top provincial officials whose appointments he had significantly influenced. And Dung’s crucial role in allocating state budgets to local governments, coupled with his strong relationships with businesses closely tied to provincial leaders, secured him considerable political loyalty. This patronage network constrained Trong’s attempt to oust Dung, as the party chief had no direct executive authority, primarily influencing the party’s direction and policies without controlling state mechanisms.
The failed attempt to oust Dung came less than two years into Trong’s first tenure as the VCP’s general secretary, and it was considered a bitter pill to swallow for him. But it also hardened Trong’s determination to push ahead with his anti-corruption drive, leading him to become heavily invested in consolidating his power and dismantling Dung’s patronage network. In 2016, Trong eventually succeeded in elbowing Dung out of Vietnamese politics by getting reelected by the party for another term, cementing his status as the most powerful leader in Vietnamese politics in half a century.
Trong’s more than 13 years at the apex of power has been characterized by a relentless push for ideological purity, conformity, and uniformity meant to ward off moral decay among Communist Party members. His hallmark anti-corruption drive purged an unprecedented number of high-ranking officials, crystallizing Trong’s steadfast commitment to so-called clean governance while at the same time leading to bureaucratic stagnation and unnerving foreign investors.
As Trong was laid to rest on July 26, the glaring flaw in his otherwise towering legacy was the absence of a clear power transition plan, which fuels further political suspense. The lack of a succession plan is rooted in the centralization of power, the difficulty in identifying a suitable successor, and the secretive nature of the party’s internal politics.
Trong’s prolonged tenure and centralization of power significantly weakened the collective leadership model of the VCP, making it challenging to find a successor with comparable authority. The struggle to identify a suitable replacement was evident during the 13th Party Congress in 2021, when Trong’s handpicked protégé, Tran Quoc Vuong, did not secure enough approval from the Central Committee to succeed Trong, leading to Trong’s unprecedented third term. Additionally, Trong’s frail health and the secretive nature of succession planning in Vietnam exacerbated the uncertainty.
One day before Trong passed away, the Politburo, the VCP’s top decision-making body, awarded him the Gold Star medal, the nation’s most coveted honor for public officials. This gesture signals a tacit consensus among Vietnam’s top echelons that Trong’s legacy is beyond dispute and irrevocable. President To Lam, the former minister of public security, has taken over his duties in a caretaker role and is also considered by international watchers to be the front-runner for the party chief position when the next VCP National Congress is convened in 2026.
But no matter who succeeds Trong, they must reckon with how to best leverage and navigate his complex legacy—including his failures.
Trong’s image as a diligent, selfless, and virtually clean leader also made him a genuinely popular one. Vietnamese cyberspace has been awash with social media posts reflecting profound sorrow and respect over the past week. Many young Vietnamese have altered their Facebook avatars to monochrome images or to pictures of flags at half-staff, symbolizing their mourning. Meanwhile, mourners have been lining up for hours in Hanoi to offer their final tributes, a testament to the deep impact and reverence that Trong commanded throughout his life.
Citing Trong’s call for a society where “development serves humanity and economic growth aligns with social progress and justice,” one journalist opined on his Facebook page: “I was deeply moved when I heard him articulate this, despite the idea itself not being novel. The spirit of his words, I believe, is something every communist, both before and after him, understands deeply. Yet, few possess the integrity to express it as sincerely and profoundly as he did. That moment made me realize my respect for him, a pure communist as I had always idealized.”
Such sincere public mourning has not been seen since the 2013 death of the legendary Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, who ousted both France and the United States from Vietnam.
In Vietnam, almost every ordinary citizen is acutely aware of how deeply corruption permeates the system and their daily lives. The public does not naively believe that corruption can be radically eliminated solely through Trong’s campaign. Instead, what these citizens yearn to see is a leader who is immune from allegations of corruption, favoritism, and nepotism, as well as one who is genuinely determined to combat corruption, a role that Trong fulfilled for many. But with Trong’s passing, the public is worried that the last symbol of integrity has been lost.
But on the flip side, the continuous removal of high-ranking officials has also sown skepticism and the notion that the anti-corruption drive was used as a smoke screen by competing factions within the party to orchestrate the ousting of rivals. Critics argue that by repeatedly airing its dirty laundry in public, the regime has revealed the extent of corruption within the system.
Diplomats and investors alike have lamented that the campaign’s relentless nature contributed to bureaucratic inertia within Vietnam’s policy approval processes. It has also perpetuated a climate of fear and hesitancy among the remaining officials, leading to significant delays in approving procurement contracts and disbursing public funds. The anti-corruption campaign was blamed partly for stunting Vietnam’s economic growth, which fell to 5 percent in 2023 from 8 percent the previous year, below the government’s target of 6.5 percent. According to some commentators, this economic slowdown could serve as a threat to the regime’s performance-based legitimacy, which hinges on sustained growth and rising living standards.
The anti-corruption drive has also shifted significant power to the police and security forces, making them key enforcers of Trong’s policies, drowning out dissenting voices, and dramatically altering Vietnam’s political landscape. Alexander Vuving, a veteran Vietnam watcher, aptly observed that Trong left behind a regime that leans heavily on coercion and control rather than building governance through consensus and legitimacy. In pushing for absolute ideological conformity, Trong sanctioned the severe crackdown on civil society and public discourse.
This is a legacy that Trong’s successor needs to undo. For a country that valorizes political stability, suppressing all channels for public grievances could eventually fuel greater instability in the long run. The reason is clear: Any regime, let alone an authoritarian one, should be wary when its citizens cease voicing their complaints, as this silence indicates a widespread lack of faith in the state’s legitimacy.
Trong’s legacy is not solely defined by his domestic policies, however. His adept navigation of Vietnam’s international relations has positioned the country as what policy consultant Richard D. McClellan described as a “master of neutrality in a polarized world,” skillfully balancing ties with major powers, such as China and the United States.
Trong’s signature concept was “bamboo diplomacy,” an approach he first described in 2021 as embodying the characteristics of bamboo—“strong roots, stout trunk, and flexible branches.” This metaphor, according to Trong, captures Vietnam’s strategy of being mellow and skillful yet tenacious and resolute, flexible and creative while bold and unyielding, and always adaptive to the situation.
Although this concept seemed to reiterate existing principles of firmness in objectives and flexibility in tactics, it also speaks to Vietnam’s increasing geopolitical importance, with both the United States and China vying for influence there in recent years. Trong’s bamboo diplomacy has gained traction as Vietnam seeks to enhance its adaptability and strategic autonomy amid great-power competition. By 2023, Vietnam had established comprehensive strategic partnerships—the pinnacle of Hanoi’s diplomatic hierarchy—with the United States, China, and Russia, as well as other major global players such as India, South Korea, Japan, and Australia.
But perhaps the most striking accomplishment in Trong’s foreign policy is his unlikely orchestration of the enhancement in U.S.-Vietnam relations despite his own strong ties to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, characterized by ideological alignment, personal rapport, and parallel anti-corruption campaigns.
Trong’s groundbreaking 2015 visit to the White House—the first ever by a CPV chief—laid the foundation for closer cooperation. In 2016, he agreed to Vietnam’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, demonstrating a willingness to reform Vietnam’s labor laws to align with international standards—an usual compromise that epitomized Hanoi’s desire for closer ties with Washington in the shadow of a muscle-flexing Beijing. His diplomatic efforts culminated in September 2023, when U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Hanoi resulted in the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
But at the end of the day, Vietnamese leaders understand better than anyone the bitter consequences of getting entangled in the crossfire of major powers. Trong’s legacy of bamboo diplomacy allows Hanoi to maintain a delicate diplomatic balance, ensuring stability and neutrality while capitalizing on opportunities from shifting regional power dynamics.
Even as they tackle the issues that his single-minded approach left behind at home, Trong’s successor is likely to lean into the flexibility and delicacy that marked his work overseas.
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