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To Lam

(蘇林 )

To Lam
蘇林
To Lam: A career police officer for over four decades, he holds the rank of four-star General and is a Doctor of Law. He previously served as Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security from 2016 to 2024, and briefly as President in 2024.
A C909 in VietJet livery at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport in April last year. Photo: Reuters
Comac

VietJet Air to lease up to 10 C909 jets in boost for Chinese aircraft maker

Deal follows talks between Chinese and Vietnamese presidents in Beijing this week.

China-Asean relations

Xi tells Vietnamese counterpart they should ‘jointly oppose unilateralism’

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2026 Trump-Xi summit

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

Vietnam

Asian Angle | Who is Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Le Minh Hung?

The ex-central banker has the credentials to succeed. Whether he has the political capital remains to be seen.

Le Minh Hung (centre) attends a swearing-in ceremony in Hanoi on Tuesday after being elected as Vietnam’s new prime minister. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/Xinhua
Vietnam

To Lam emerges as Vietnam’s ‘supreme leader’ after being elected president

The Communist Party chief is the first person to secure the top two jobs through the party’s normal leadership selection processes.

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Vietnam

Why Vietnam is leaning on Russia to weather energy turmoil

The energy shortage is ‘seriously threatening’ Vietnam’s growth objective and could dent the new leadership’s legitimacy, analysts say.

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China-Asean relations

China, Vietnam agree to live-fire drills in naval exercise boost

Agreement between naval commanders ahead of 40th joint exercise comes as Vietnamese leader To Lam hails ties with China as ‘top priority’.

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Chinese and Vietnamese navy vessels pictured during their 39th joint patrol, in the Gulf of Tonkin in November 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China’s military drills

In joint patrols with China, Vietnam steers course between 2 powers

The Gulf of Tonkin will be the backdrop this week for naval activities despite a five-decade maritime dispute.

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China-Asean relations

Will Paracels dispute overshadow China-Vietnam drive for closer strategic ties?

Foreign, defence and public security ministers are to meet after images suggested China had started land reclamation work at Antelope Reef.

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Vietnam

Build fast, grow rich: To Lam’s blueprint for a rising Vietnam

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief is staking his legacy on 10 per cent growth, domestic megaprojects and an overseas charm offensive.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Vietnam

US to remove Vietnam from tech export control list, Hanoi says

Donald Trump’s reported pledge follows a massive US$37 billion spending spree by Vietnamese airlines on US aerospace contracts.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung shake hands in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesia seals ‘great’ US trade deal, agrees to send 8,000 troops to Gaza

A US general said Jakarta will take a deputy commander role in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

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Vietnam

‘Everyone became greedy’: how Vietnam’s crypto gold rush ended in ruins

Vietnam’s crypto boom faces a harsh winter as investors lose fortunes, bankruptcies and lay-offs roil the industry.

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Vietnam

Opinion | Vietnam’s renewed nuclear power push faces formidable hurdles

Money, corruption, a lack of skilled staff and other factors may derail Hanoi’s goal of building its first nuclear power plant by 2031.

A nuclear power plant operating at night. Russia’s state-owned energy company Rosatom has been contracted to build Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant. Photo: Shutterstock
Vietnam

Friend or foe? Leaked Vietnamese military document labels US ‘belligerent’

While noting that ‘there is little risk of a war’, document urges vigilance to prevent the US from finding a pretext to invade Vietnam.

A US Marine honour guard holds the Vietnamese flag to welcome Defence Minister Phan Van Giang to the Pentagon on September 9, 2024. Photo: AP
Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam gets another 5-year term as Communist Party chief

Lam, who is also seeking to become president, has pledged to speed up growth in the export-reliant country.

Vietnam

Efficiency or autocracy? What To Lam’s power grab will mean for Vietnam

The Communist Party’s general secretary is already behaving as if he ‘expects a mandate’ to add the presidency to his portfolio, experts say.

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US-Asean relations

Foot in the door or trap? Risks of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Southeast Asia

Nations are likely to try to avoid early commitment while steering clear of outright rejection to minimise US retaliation, analysts say.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA
Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam seeks to tighten grip on power as party congress begins

The party’s general secretary is eyeing a dual role similar to Xi Jinping’s in neighbouring China.

Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam may secure dual role as party and state head in rare move

The proposal is likely to be endorsed at a party congress scheduled to take place in Hanoi next month.

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Vietnam

Asian Angle | The hidden domestic agenda behind Vietnam’s baffling foreign policy

To Lam’s recent pilgrimages to North Korea and Cuba signal ideological loyalty, even as he pushes a hard-nosed reform agenda at home.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Vietnam’s To Lam (left) talk before a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, last month. Photo: VNA/AP
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Families facing heartbreaking uncertainty in aftermath of Hong Kong fire tragedy

Grief and desperation as relatives wait in anguish for news of loved ones missing in devastating Tai Po estate blaze.

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An injured person from the Tai Po fire arrives at Prince Wales Hospital. Photo: Edmond So
Vietnam

Letters | Vietnam should expect sterner tests of its diplomatic skills

Readers discuss Hanoi’s feat of securing strong partnerships with major powers, the task awaiting Taiwan’s new KMT chair, and the impact of strict rules on Hong Kong’s street life.

Vietnam

Pentagon chief Hegseth wants closer Vietnam ties amid arms dealings

The US has delivered three cutters to the Vietnamese coastguard and three T-6 trainer aircraft, from an order of 12, while intending to do more.

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Vietnam

Opinion | Vietnam’s defence pact with North Korea a step back into the shadows

Vietnam’s future depends not on nostalgia or political theatre but on its capacity to engage openly with the modern world.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, welcomes Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam in Pyongyang on October 10. Photo: KCNA via YNA/dpa
Vietnam

Vietnam’s top leader heads to North Korea for first visit in 18 years

The visit will be more about strengthening political ties and cultural exchanges than making trade or military deals, analysts say.

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Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (centre) is welcomed upon arrival at Pyongyang International Airport on Thursday. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/AFP
Vietnam

Asian Angle | Is Vietnam’s tech dream stuck in the assembly line?

Vietnam needs to focus on upgrading domestic capacity and implementing urgent reforms, or risk becoming a second-tier assembly line.

Asean

Opinion | Why Vietnam’s US trade deal is a high-risk economic gamble

It’s a strategic chance to catalyse economic reforms but failure risks making Vietnam a dependent client state.

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