VIETNAM’S top security official To Lam was confirmed today as the nation’s new president.

Mr Lam was confirmed by Vietnam’s National Assembly after his predecessor resigned amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign that has shaken the country’s political establishment and business elites and has resulted in multiple top-level changes in government.

Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was elected to a third term in 2021, but at 80 he may not seek another term after 2026.

Mr Trong views corruption as the gravest threat facing the party. As Vietnam’s top security official, Mr Lam has led Mr Trong’s sweeping anti-graft campaign.

Following Mr Lam’s confirmation as president, Deputy Public Security Minister Tran Quoc To was appointed to take over from him at the ministry in an interim role.

Mr Lam spent more than four decades in the Ministry of Public Security before becoming the minister in 2016.