Vietnam's communist-dominated general assembly has elected To Lam, the party leader, to be the country's president and head of state, an unusual concentration of power in one person. He was elected unanimously by the 500 seat assembly which started sitting on Monday, following the Communist Party Congress in January, which makes all the big decisions about the country's future direction.
This makes To Lam the most powerful leader in Vietnam in recent decades. To Lam rose over the last decade by serving as the powerful Minister for Public Security, enforcing a nationwide anti-corruption drive which saw many of his potential rivals disgraced and purged.
