The bitter struggle for top leadership in Vietnam’s Communist Party finally reached a sweet-and-sour respite. The man at the top got a nod last week to keep his seat for five more years. It’s sweet because we know his steady, cautious leadership style. It’s sour if you’re an investor because the prime minister, a man bent on faster economic reforms, didn’t get the job. His hotly contested bid for Vietnam’s de facto top position shook leaders so hard they delayed stock market liberalization for half a year. On Jan. 27 Nguyen Phu Trong was reconfirmed as the party’s General Secretary and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung bowed out.
|