Nguyễn Phú Trọng

Nguyễn Phú Trọng (14 April 1944 –19 July 2024) was a Vietnamese politician and communist theorist who served as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2011 until his death in 2024. As the head of the party's Secretariat, Politburo and Central Military Commission, Trọng was Vietnam's paramount leader. From 2018 to 2021 he also served concurrently as president of Vietnam.

A conservative Marxist-Leninist, Trọng joined the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1968 and rose through the section devoted to political work. He later joined the party's Central Committee in 1994, its Politburo in 1997 and Vietnam's National Assembly in 2002. Between 2000 and 2006, he was the Party Secretary for Hanoi, effectively the city's highest-ranking position. He served as Chairman of the National Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

Trọng rose to the general secretaryship at the party's 11th National Congress in 2011 and was re-elected at the 12th National Congress in 2016. He became state president in 2018 following the death of President Trần Đại Quang, becoming the third person to simultaneously head the party and state after Hồ Chí Minh and Trường Chinh. At the 13th National Congress in 2021, he was re-elected as general secretary, becoming the third leader of Vietnam to secure a third term (after Hồ Chí Minh and Lê Duẩn), and was succeeded by Nguyễn Xuân Phúc as president.

During his tenure, Trọng pursued a wide anti-corruption campaign, implicating numerous senior officials to a degree unprecedented in Vietnamese political history. His foreign policy, known as "bamboo diplomacy", sought to balance Vietnam's relations with both the United States and China. He presided over a period of rapid economic growth. Trọng is considered one of the most influential Vietnamese leaders since Hồ Chí Minh.

Early life and career
Nguyễn Phú Trọng was born in Đông Hội Commune, Đông Anh district of Hanoi in 1944. His official biography gives his family background only as "average peasant". He studied philology and earned his Bachelor degree in philology at Vietnam National University, Hanoi from 1963 to 1967. Trong joined the Communist Party of Vietnam on December 19, 1967.

He worked for the Tạp chí Cộng Sản (Communist Review), the theoretical and political agency of the Communist Party of Vietnam (formerly the Labor Party) in the periods of 1968–1973, 1976–1981 and 1983–1996. From 1973 to 1976, he underwent a political-economic post-graduate course at the High-level Nguyễn Ái Quốc Party School (now the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration). From 1991 to 1996, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Tạp chí Cộng Sản. Trong went to the Soviet Union in 1981 to study at the Academy of Sciences and received a Candidate of Sciences degree in history in 1983. From 1998 to 2001, he was the Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council of the Communist Party of Vietnam, then becoming the chairman of the Theoretical Council until 2006. Trong was a member of the party's Central Committee from January 1994, the party's Politburo from December 1997 and deputy to the National Assembly from May 2002. From January 2000 to June 2006, Trong was secretary of the party's Executive Committee of Hanoi, the de facto head of the city authority. On 26 June 2006, Trong was elected as the Chairman of the National Assembly. During this period, he was elected secretary of the party organization in the National Assembly and member of the Council for Defence and Security. On 23 October 2018, Trong was elected as the 10th President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in a seasonal meeting of National Assembly.

First term (2011–2016)


Trong was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2011 at the 11th National Congress, making him the top leader of Vietnam. The 5th plenum of the 11th Central Committee decided to take the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption away from the Prime Minister's control and Trong was elected its head.

Domestic policy
In 2012, he urged the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) to adopt Resolution No. 12, which called for party building and self-criticism amongst party officials, calling them to lead by example and be held accountable for corruption and waste. Afterwards, the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption was directly placed under the administration of the Politburo. He further passed the Decision 244 of the CPV, establishing a formalized process of political succession and restricting the ability of CPV delegates to select new Central Committee members by requiring the outgoing Central Committee to approve the candidates. It also prohibited Politburo members from nominating Central Committee candidates without support from the Politburo.

China
On 11 October 2011, he made his first visit to China as General Secretary. According to the Vietnamese state news media, Hu Jintao and Trong both agreed to avoid escalating the situation in the South China Sea and to handle disagreements through peaceful negotiations. In December 2011, then-Vice President of China Xi Jinping visited Vietnam to "concretize" the results of the October discussions between Trọng and Hu. In 2015, Trọng paid a state visit to China, where he met President Xi Jinping.

United States


On 6 July 2015, General Secretary Trong arrived in the United States to begin his United States visit to 10 July 2015. This visit coincided with the milestone of twenty years since the United States and Vietnam normalized diplomatic relations. The talks with President Barack Obama were about human rights, security and defense and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trọng was the first Vietnamese party chief to make a state visit to the United States. He also met Vice President Biden and former president Clinton. At a talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, he spoke frankly about democracy in Vietnam with American scholars.

India


On 20 November 2013, Trọng paid an official visit to India. This State-level visit to India also aims to contribute to strengthening Vietnam-India relations, bringing the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level, more substantive and more effective.

Russia
During Trọng's first term, Vietnam and Russia upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012. Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, Vietnam abstained from voting to declare the annexation through a referendum invalid at the United Nations.

Second term (2016–2021)
On 27 January 2016, Trong was re-elected as General Secretary by the 1st Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee.

In his second term, Trọng launched a large anti-corruption campaign, with the Politburo taking disciplinary actions against 110 senior Party members between 2017 and 2020, including three Politburo members, one former Politburo member, 10 Central Committee members and 17 former Central Committee members. Some of the disciplinary actions included criminal charges.

Anti-corruption campaign
After being reelected as General Secretary in 2016, Trọng launched a large-scale campaign against corruption. The campaign has resulted in thousands of high-ranking officials being disciplined, imprisoned, and forced to resign from positions in the government, including the president Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, who resigned after several of his subordinates were involved in corruption scandals. He compared this campaign to "burning a furnace" ("đốt lò"), hence the name Dot lo campaign. The campaign is considered by observers to be an effort by the Party to regain power and prestige as well as strengthen people's trust in the government and the Party's leadership. Especially during his third term, Trọng's government handled many notable corruption cases, such as Việt Á scandal and the 304 trillion dong (12 billiom USD) Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group case.

Trọng visited China in January 2017, where Beijing and Hanoi signed 15 cooperation documents in various fields and issued a 10-point joint communiqué to deepen Sino-Vietnamese relations. According to state media, the two leaders pledged to continue the "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, towards the future" between China and Vietnam.

Presidency (2018–2021)


Trọng met Donald Trump in February 2019 during the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit. On 3 October 2018, following the death of President Trần Đại Quang, the Central Committee of the CPV formally nominated Trong for the presidency, which was voted on at a subsequent session of the National Assembly, where the party holds an overwhelming majority. This made Trọng the third person to simultaneously head the party and state after Hồ Chí Minh (in North Vietnam only) and Trường Chinh. The National Assembly elected Trong as the 10th president on 23 October 2018 with 99.79% percent of the vote in a meeting of the sixth session of the National Assembly. His swearing-in ceremony took place at the Grand Hall and was broadcast live on the afternoon on state radio and television systems.

In 2019, Vietnam was chosen to host the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit. Trọng met two leaders as a neutral host state leader.

On 14 April 2019, it was reported that Trong had been rushed to the Chợ Rẫy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after visiting Kiên Giang, according to overseas news sources. He was rumoured to have suffered a stroke. The Vietnamese government initially had no comment on the subject matter, but later confirmed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam that he was "unwell, but will soon return to work". He reappeared on 14 May 2019 to discuss about the upcoming Party Congress.

Third term (2021–2024)
On 31 January 2021, Trọng was re-elected as General Secretary for a third term by the 1st Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee, making him the first leader since Lê Duẩn (1969–1986) to serve more than two terms. On 1 February 2021, Trong attended a press conference. Trong said:

"I am not in great health [...] I am old and I want to rest, but the Congress has elected me so I will comply with my duty to serve as a party member."

Trọng was the first person to be elected as CPV general secretary for a third term since 1986.

The National Assembly on 2 April 2021 voted to relieve Trọng’s presidency with 91.25% of the vote. Trọng remained de facto top leader in the country, serving as the General Secretary of the Communist Party. He was succeeded by Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine broke out in February 2022, Vietnam maintained a neutral stance, abstaining from voting at most United Nations voting sessions on resolutions related to the invasion. Between 30 October and 2 November, Trọng visited China and met Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping, becoming the first foreign leader to meet Xi after he secured a third term in the 20th CCP National Congress. Both leaders released a joint statement, calling for cooperation in economic, political, defense and security areas and working together in "the fight against terrorism, 'peaceful evolution', 'colour revolution' and the politicisation of human rights issues". Xi paid a reciprocal visit a year later in December 2023 to Hanoi. During Xi's 2023 visit, the two leaders agreed to build "a community of shared future for humankind", months after Hanoi upgraded its formal relations with the United States.

In January 2023, Phúc resigned from the presidency due to corruption scandals, leading Trọng's ally Võ Văn Thưởng to succeed him in March. From 21 to 23 May 2023, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, and former president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, visited Vietnam and met with Trọng. They discussed the strengthening of ties between Russia and Vietnam and the current international situation. During a visit to Vietnam on 10 September 2023, U.S. president Joe Biden visited with Trọng, with the Vietnamese government upgrading the relationship between the countries to that of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the highest awarded by Vietnam.

On 19 June 2024, Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Vietnam and met with Trọng. Putin thanked Vietnam for its "balanced position" on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Political positions


Ideologically, Trọng was considered to be coming from the more conservative Marxist–Leninist faction within the CPV. He long railed against some party members' loss of "Marxist–Leninist virtue". Trọng stated that "a country without discipline would be chaotic and unstable [...]. We need to balance democracy and law and order". He criticized liberal democracy in a book in 2022, writing that "behind the multiparty system in reality is still the tyranny of capitalist corporations" and "the reality is that the democratic institutions according to the 'liberal democracy' formula that the West tries to promote and impose on the world do not ensure that power truly belongs to the people, by the people and for the people".

Personal life
Trong was married to Ngô Thị Mận. He had a daughter and a son, both of whom work as government employees.

Death


Trọng died at 13:38 (UTC+07:00) on 19 July 2024 at Central Military Hospital 108 in Hanoi, at the age of 80. State media, citing information from the Professional Council for Health Protection of Central Officials (Hội đồng chuyên môn bảo vệ sức khỏe cán bộ Trung ương), said he died "after a period of illness". His death was announced to the public at around 18:00 (UTC+07:00).

The Vietnamese government declared an official mourning period for dates July 25 and 26.

Messages of condolences were sent from the leaders of Laos, Cambodia, China, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, North Korea, South Korea, Turkmenistan, the United States, Japan and Australia. Additionally, the United States' ambassador to Vietnam, Marc Knapper, also released a statement of condolences. The Cuban government declared one day of state mourning.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of Trọng as "a pivotal figure in Vietnam's recent history," emphasizing that under his leadership, Vietnam has emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing economies and a vital partner of the United Nations. European Union ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier issued a statement of condolences stating that Trọng's "commitment and dedication to the nation have left an indelible mark on Vietnam’s history and development" and Trọng "played a pivotal role in strengthening Vietnam’s position on the global stage and fostering meaningful partnerships with the international community."

State honours
Vietnam
 * Gold Star Order (18 July 2024)
 * 50-year Party membership badge (2018)
 * Resistance War Medal First Class
 * 55-year Party membership badge (2023)

Foreign
 * 🇨🇳 China: Friendship Medal (31 October 2022)
 * 🇨🇺 Cuba: Order of José Martí (9 April 2012)
 * Laos: National Gold Medal (5 September 2007)

Other honours

 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation: Lenin Prize (15 December 2021)

Books

 * Nguyen Phu Trong (2004). Viet Nam on The Path of Renewal (Việt Nam Trong Tiến Trình Đổi Mới). Hanoi: Thế giới Publishers. 351 p.
 * Nguyen Phu Trong (2015). Renewal in Việt Nam: Theory and Reality (Đổi Mới ở Việt Nam: Lý thuyết và thực tiễn). Hanoi: Thế giới Publishers. 397 p.
 * Nguyen Phu Trong; Tran Dinh Nghiem; Vu Hien (1995). Vietnam from 1986 (Việt Nam từ năm 1986). Hanoi: Thế giới Publishers. 116 p.
 * Nguyen Phu Trong (2019) Determined to prevent and fight corruption (Quyết tâm ngăn chặn và đẩy lùi tham nhũng), Hanoi: Truth National Political Publisher, 380 p.
 * Nguyen Phu Trong (2021) Bringing the country into a new phase in a united and confident manner (Đoàn kết, vững tin đưa đất nước bước vào giai đoạn mới), Hanoi: Truth National Political Publisher, 752 p.
 * Nguyen Phu Trong (2021) The whole Party and people join hands and unite to build our country more and more prosperous and happy (Toàn Đảng, toàn dân chung sức, đồng lòng xây dựng đất nước ta ngày càng phồn vinh, hạnh phúc). Hanoi: Truth National Political Publisher (2021), 608 p.
 * Nguyen Phu Trong (2023) Resolutely and persistently fight against corruption and negativity, contributing to building an increasingly clean and strong Party and State (Kiên quyết, kiên trì đấu tranh phòng, chống tham nhũng, tiêu cực, góp phần xây dựng Đảng và Nhà nước ta ngày càng trong sạch, vững mạnh. Hanoi: Truth National Political Publisher, 600 p.