Vietnam’s four pillars and revolving-door posts

THERE’S a new white-knuckle politics playing out in Vietnam. It is visible in zero tolerance for leaders who may be involved in any sort of controversy or fall short on the performance scale.

On the surface, the four pillars of governance – the president, prime minister, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and chairman of the national assembly – are cohesive. Yet recent events belie that belief.

The party’s prosecution of hundreds of officials since 2022, for alleged wrongdoing, suggests that the cement binding the four pillars – that is, party officials – is weakening.