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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.

The two countries have been working to strengthen ties in recent year. Photo: Shutterstock

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.

13 Mar 2026 - 10:03PM

Vietnam

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

1 Mar 2026 - 8:00AM

Vietnam

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

21 Feb 2026 - 12:06PM

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.

20 Feb 2026 - 10:35AMvideocam

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (centre) attends the inaugural meeting of the “Board of Peace” in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

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.

15 Feb 2026 - 2:26PMvideocam

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.

8 Feb 2026 - 11:30AM

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.

4 Feb 2026 - 12:01PM

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.

23 Jan 2026 - 3:57PM

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.

22 Jan 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

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.

21 Jan 2026 - 2:30PMvideocam

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.

17 Jan 2026 - 8:53AM

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.

24 Dec 2025 - 11:46AMvideocam

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.

29 Nov 2025 - 1:30PM

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.

27 Nov 2025 - 7:19PMvideocam

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.

7 Nov 2025 - 11:30AM

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.

2 Nov 2025 - 5:49PM

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.

19 Oct 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

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.

10 Oct 2025 - 8:59AMvideocam

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.

13 Jul 2025 - 10:00AM

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.

7 Jul 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Vietnam’s Pham confident of ‘positive’ results ahead of US tariff deal deadline

Results may ‘come earlier than two weeks’, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh tells Summer Davos, pledges ‘good balance’ between US and China.

25 Jun 2025 - 8:41PMvideocam

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh talks to attendees at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions, in Tianjin on June 25. Photo: AFP

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To Lam

(蘇林 )

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.

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

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

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.

‘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.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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.

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.

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.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Vietnam’s Pham confident of ‘positive’ results ahead of US tariff deal deadline

Results may ‘come earlier than two weeks’, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh tells Summer Davos, pledges ‘good balance’ between US and China.

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

Letters | Vietnam should expect sterner tests of its diplomatic skills