 Seeking to keep up the momentum that has made Vietnam the fastest- growing economy in Southeast Asia, the ruling Communist Party on Tuesday reappointed its top leader to deepen market reforms and fight corruption. Nong Duc Manh, 65, was formally re-elected to a second term as party chief at the closing session of the party congress.
Manh, a Soviet-trained forestry engineer who spent a decade as chairman of the National Assembly before winning the top post in 2001, is viewed as a steady supporter of reforms within the one-party system. "With (Manh), you get continued stability. It should give people outside Vietnam extraordinary confidence in where the country is going," said Carlyle Thayer, a veteran Vietnam observer at the Australian Defense Force Academy.
| Unless they're shipped to a corrective labor camp, beaten or disappeared. |
Last year, Vietnam recorded 8.4 percent GDP growth _ its highest in a decade_ and some $3.5 billion in foreign investment.
Manh pledged Tuesday to accelerate market-oriented reforms "in a stronger, more comprehensive manner" while fighting corruption. "We cannot solve this overnight but we do see the problem. We will not let wrongdoers escape," he said.
| Unless they're the family member of a party member. |
At the congress, the party approved a statute allowing party members to engage in private business. The decision, which legalizes what has become widespread practice, is in keeping with reality and does not contradict party ideals, Manh said.
The party, which claims 3.1 million members out of a population of 83 million, has ruled over a unified nation since the end of Vietnam War in 1975. But the challenges are many: Vietnam remains a developing nation, with per capita income of $640, and the gap between rich and poor is growing wider.
| Which isn't supposed to happen in a Marxist state. |
The party also faces widespread corruption. Looming over this year's congress was a scandal in the Transport Ministry that allegedly involved millions of dollars in funds skimmed from infrastructure projects to pay for luxury cars and gambling on European soccer matches. The transport minister resigned and several in his ministry were arrested. The scandal was an international embarrassment since much of the money was apparently development assistance given by the World Bank and Japan, among others. |
