 "Who is To Lam, Vietnam's top cop now elected president?")
Vietnam’s communist parliament publicly voted in To Lam, the minister of public security, as the country's new president on Wednesday (22 May), following the resignation of his predecessor due to a significant anti-corruption campaign .
Vietnam’s leadership structure consists of four key positions: the Communist Party general secretary, the president, the prime minister, and the head of the National Assembly, the four bureaucratic positions have been informally dubbed the “four pillars” in regard to leadership and decision-making in the country.
With the resignation of the National Assembly chairman in April over “violations and shortcomings,” two of these top positions had been vacant for a month.
The president is elected by the National Assembly through a secret ballot, with the results then approved by the deputies. To Lam received an overwhelming majority, with 472 out of 473 votes in his favour.
Tran Thanh Man, 61, was also nominated as the new chairman of the National Assembly on Monday, and the party has also appointed four new politburo members.
Who is To Lam?
To Lam was born on 10 July, 1957, in Xuan Cau village, Vietnam, to Colonel To Quyen, a revered figure in the People’s Armed Forces. His father’s was a decorated army officer who was honoured with the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces medal.
To Quyen’s commitment to the revolution led him to serve in the South under the Central Bureau until the country’s reunification, earning him the moniker “Uncle Tu To Lam.”
Following his father’s footsteps, To Lam pursued studies in security, enrolling in the sixth course of the Central Public Security School in October 1974, later renamed People’s Security University.
Continuing his academic journey, he delved into the field of law, culminating in the attainment of a PhD in Jurisprudence. In recognition of his academic prowess, he was bestowed with the title of Professor of Security Sciences in October 2015.
To Lam’s commitment to the Communist cause was evident as he joined the Communist Party of Vietnam on 22 August, 1981, officially becoming a party member a year later.
Embarking on a dedicated career in public service, To Lam’s trajectory saw him rise through the ranks within the police forces of Vietnam. He held various key positions, including Head of the Central Highlands Steering Committee, Deputy Minister of Public Security, and Director-General of the MPS First General Department of Security.
His tenure was marked by significant contributions to law enforcement and security, earning him recognition within the Communist Party. To Lam’s ascent within the party ranks was steady, as he became a Member of the Central Committee in 2011 and later ascended to the Politburo in 2016.
Since April 2016, he held the position of Minister of Public Security, until his nomination for the presidency in May 2024.
Lam’s controversial role as Vietnam’s top security minister
During Lam’s tenure at the helm of the Public Security Ministry, Vietnam has drawn severe criticism from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other watchdog organisations for its tactics of harassing and intimidating critics.
In 2021, courts convicted at least 32 individuals for expressing dissenting views about the government, handing them lengthy prison sentences, while authorities detained at least 26 others on fabricated charges, as reported by HRW.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUnder Tam’s leadership as Vietnam’s chief security official, civil society encountered additional restrictions, with foreign aid limitations imposed in 2021 being further tightened in 2023. The nation witnessed the imprisonment of environmental activists, alongside the introduction of legislation aimed at censoring social media, according to Ben Swanton of The 88 Project, an organisation advocating for freedom of expression in Vietnam.
“With To Lam’s ascent to the presidency, Vietnam is now a literal police state,” Swanton told AP, noting the increasing dominance of current and former security officials within the Vietnamese ruling Politburo. He anticipates a further escalation of repression and censorship.
While Vietnam grappled with a COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, a video emerged showing Turkish chef Nusret Gokce, famously known as Salt Bae, serving Tam a gold-adorned steak in London. Despite attempts to suppress it, the video spread rapidly, fueling widespread outrage among individuals enduring lockdowns, which exacerbated economic hardships.
In the midst of this, a Vietnamese noodle vendor named Bui Tuan Lam, who parodied the Salt Bae video, was arrested on charges of disseminating anti-state propaganda and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison.
Furthermore, it was under Lam’s tenure as public security minister in 2017 when German authorities allege that Vietnamese businessperson and former politician Trinh Xuan Thanh, along with a companion, were forcibly abducted and transported in a van in central Berlin, an act described by German officials as “an unprecedented and fragrant violation of German and international law.”
With inputs from agencies
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