Webinar on “Vietnam Communist Party’s 13th Congress: Politics of Leadership Succession”

In a few months’ time, the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) will convene its National Congress, held once every five years. This congress will set the socio-economic agenda for Vietnam for the next 10 years from 2021 to 2030. More importantly, for the purpose of this webinar, it will elect new leaders to replace retiring ones. The congress will first elect a Central Committee for the next term with about 200 members. This Committee will then elect a new Politburo to lead the Party. Of the current 16-member strong Politburo, seven of them who are older than 65 are expected to step down with few exceptions, to be replaced by younger leaders. The speakers will discuss the legacies of current Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong, likely candidates for new leadership positions, and the implications of this leadership change for Vietnam.

Le Hong Hiep is Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, contributing to the Vietnam Studies Program and the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Program. He is also an editor of the institute’s flagship journal Contemporary Southeast Asia. Hiep holds a BA from Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, a MA in International Relations and a Master of Diplomacy from the Australian National University. In 2015, Hiep obtained his PhD in Political and International Studies from the University of New South Wales, funded by the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Award. Before joining ISEAS, Hiep was with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and taught at the Faculty of International Relations, Vietnam National University-HCMC. Hiep’s scholarly works and analyses have been widely published, including two books: Living next to the Giant: The Political Economy of Vietnam’s Relations with China under Doi Moi (2016) and Vietnam’s Foreign Policy under Doi Moi (2018, co-edited with Anton Tsvetov).

Tuong Vu is Professor and Department Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Oregon, USA. He is the founding director of the US-Vietnam Research Center and has held visiting fellowships at Princeton University and the National University of Singapore. A former editor of the Journal of Vietnamese Studies, his research has focused on the modern history and politics of East and Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Vietnam. He is the author or co-editor of five books, including Vietnam’s Communist Revolution: The Power and Limits of Ideology (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

This webinar will be delivered online entirely. You can join the webinar at the specified date and time using devices (computer, phone, or tablet) with internet connection.

Please register here (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B9bx8KwxRoepXMAnAa3hMQ) to receive your unique link for joining the webinar.

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For the best experience, please mute your microphone. If you have questions for the panellists, please key in your questions via the Q&A, stating your name and affiliation. The moderator will field them to the panellist during the Q&A session.