August 3, 2025, marks one year since To Lam became General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee, widely considered the most powerful position in the country. His rise followed an unprecedented upheaval entailing the removal of two of the “four pillars” of leadership, namely President Vo Van Thuong and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and the death of his long-serving predecessor, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
Lam’s ascent from the public security sector to the pinnacle of both Party and State is a first in Vietnam’s political history, opening a period of unpredictably. His era has been defined so far by a flurry of reforms described as forceful, unexpected and unprecedented.
One year on, the verdict from experts and observers is sharply divided. Veteran analyst Carlyle Thayer has lauded him as a bold and admirable leader, even surpassing his predecessor.
