Vietnam lays out priorities for remainder of 2024 with new leadership team

The 15th National Assembly’s (NA) seventh session last week elected NA Permanent Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man as NA Chairman, and Minister of Public Security To Lam as State President for the 15th term, serving to 2026.

After being elected, both leaders swore an oath of loyalty to the fatherland, the people, and the Constitution of Vietnam.

State President To Lam (left) and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man

They pledged to “exert the highest effort and determination to complete all duties assigned by the Party, the state, and the people”, contributing to successfully achieving the goal of building a prosperous, civilised country and ensuring the people’s wellbeing and happiness.

They also resolutely committed to combat corruption and vice at all times.

General To Lam, born in 1957 in the northern province of Hung Yen, was a Party Central Committee member for its 11th-13th tenures and a Politburo member for its 12th-13th tenures. He was Deputy Minister of Public Security from 2010 to 2016, and Minister of Public Security from 2016 onwards.

Meanwhile, 62-year-old Tran Thanh Man, born in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, has been a Politburo member since 2021 and was previously Chairman of the People’s Committee and then Secretary of the Party Committee of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Before being elected as 15th NA Vice Chairman in 2021, he was also the President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee.

Vietnam’s highest-placed leaders are now currently Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and NA Chairman Man.

The government last week told the legislative body that in 2024, it prioritises promoting growth linked with maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, and ensuring major balances of the economy.

“We will continue to combine all macroeconomic management policies in a close, effective, and harmonious manner,” said a governmental report to the NA. “We will also renew traditional growth drivers and boost new ones.”

The traditional growth impetuses include investment, consumption, and exports, while the new growth propellants consist of renewal of institutions and policies, regional connectivity, digital transformation and the green transition, the circular and sharing economy, the knowledge-based economy, and new industries such as semiconductors and AI.

The government will also speed up the progress of important national and inter-regional transport infrastructure projects. This embraces the construction of 1,000 kilometres of expressway, thus increasing the value of land and lowering logistics costs.

Other tasks it must carry out also cover development of high-quality human resources closely associated with research and development, the application of science and technology, and carrying out reforms in education and training.

The government also told the NA that the economy was bouncing back every month. The economy grew 5.66 per cent in Q1, higher than the on-year rise of 3.41 and 5.12 per cent in the same periods of 2023 and 2022, respectively.

“This reflects the massive efforts of the country in the context of the economy still facing numerous difficulties,” said Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai. “Industrial production is positively recovering, especially in terms of the manufacturing and processing industry.”

In the first four months of this year, the index for industrial production grew 6 per cent compared to the same period last year, when the index declined 2.5 per cent. The manufacturing and processing industry increased 6.3 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, when the rate went down by 2.9 per cent.

The government is expecting to hit the goal of 6-6.5 per cent economic growth this year.

Upcoming NA bears extra significance with elections The National Assembly is set to elect the country’s new state president and the legislature’s chairman this month, following leaders stepping down from the posts.

Truong Thi Mai relieved from position of NA deputy The National Assembly Standing Committee convened a meeting on May 16 to consider and decide on the cessation of duties for Truong Thi Mai, a deputy from the Hoa Binh delegation for the 15th NA, according to a press release from the NA Secretary General.