To Lam is Institutionalising Politics Again
Nguyen Khac Giang
Few had expected To Lam, Vietnam’s top leader, to rebuild the same institutions that he had dismantled.

Nguyen Khac Giang
Few had expected To Lam, Vietnam’s top leader, to rebuild the same institutions that he had dismantled.
Hoang Thi Ha|Pham Thi Phuong Thao
This Long Read reviews the historical significance of Vietnam’s ASEAN accession and examines how Vietnam’s approach to ASEAN has evolved in tandem with its national development, shifting security outlook, and institutional maturation over the past three decades.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
Hanoi’s efforts to enlist social media influencers to spread positive narratives risk hurting their credibility, encountering platform pushback, and ultimately backfiring at home and abroad.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
The coordinated pushback against a Vietnamese influencer who had lamented the passing of a cultural icon shows that the state values displays of patriotism, but only if such displays toe the party line.
Dien Nguyen An Luong|Nguyen Khac Giang
This Long Read argues that Vietnam’s propaganda apparatus is increasingly shaped by internal tensions between two informal but influential elite coalitions. On one side are conservative actors embedded in the military and ideology apparatus, who prioritise ideological orthodoxy and regime security. On the other are reformist pragmatists, often drawn from diplomatic and economic institutions, who place greater emphasis on performance legitimacy, international engagement, and administrative modernisation.
Nguyen Khac Giang
Resolution 68, issued in May 2025 by the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, marks one of Vietnam’s most dramatic economic policy shifts since Doi Moi. It elevates the private sector from junior partner to the “most important force” of the economy. However, success hinges on overcoming entrenched interests, managing ideological resistance within the CPV, and ensuring disciplined execution of reforms.
Huy Ha
There is growing momentum in Vietnam to adopt marriage equality. However, traditional societal norms and tighter controls on foreign funding loom.
Nguyen Khac Giang
Vietnam’s renewed ambition of developing nuclear power plants to fuel its industrialisation drive and meet its climate obligations faces several obstacles, including an unrealistic timeline and financial challenges.
Vinod Thomas
Hanoi’s air pollution crisis demands action in emission regulation, waste management, and climate mitigation.
Hoang Thi Ha
Vietnam has been navigating the potential trade headwinds from the second Trump administration with pragmatism and opportunism, aligning with Trump’s transactional approach. The focus has been on fostering corporate partnerships, framing Vietnam-US economic ties as win-win instead of virtue-signalling on free trade.