Vietnam’s parliament to meet over ‘personnel issues’

Vietnam’s parliament is set
to meet on Thursday to discuss unspecified “personnel issues”,
according to a letter sent to legislators seen by Reuters, amid
speculation of a reshuffle of the Communist-ruled country’s top
leadership.
Multiple Vietnamese officials and diplomats said the
possible resignation of the country’s president Vo Van Thuong
may be one of the personnel matters the parliament will discuss.
A Vietnamese official informed about the matter confirmed
the meeting, but press offices for Vietnam’s foreign affairs
ministry and the parliament did not immediately reply to
requests for comment.
The letter signed by the general secretary of the national
assembly Bui Van Cuong and sent to members of the parliament, a
copy of which was seen by Reuters, said: “The National Assembly
Standing Committee decided to convene the 6th extraordinary
session of the 15th National Assembly to consider and decide on
personnel issues.”
It was unclear what decisions would be made at the special
session, which comes after a state visit to Vietnam by the Dutch
royal family slated for next week was on Thursday postponed “due
to domestic circumstances,” according to a statement from the
Dutch Royal House.
The National Assembly had last year convened a special
meeting in January to accept the sudden resignation of the then
president Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who quit amid a wide and
long-running campaign against corruption, which critics said
could be used for political infighting.
Thuong, 53, was elected president in March 2023 and is
regarded as being close to Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary
of the Communist Party and Vietnam’s most powerful figure.
The president holds a largely ceremonial role but is one of
the top four political positions in the Southeast Asian nation.