Nguyễn Phú Trọng

Trọng was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2011. The 5th plenum of the 11th Central Committee decided to take the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption away from the Prime Minister’s control and Trọng was elected its head.[18][19]

On 6 July 2015, General Secretary Trọng arrived in the United States to begin his United States visit to 10 July 2015. This is the first time a leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam has held office in the United States Department of State, but has not held any official post in the Oval Office. This visit coincided with the milestone of twenty years since the United States and Vietnam normalized diplomatic relations. The talks with President Barack Obama was about human rights, security and defense and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.[20][21]

On 27 January 2016, Trọng was re-elected as General Secretary of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam at the first conference of the committee.[22] At 72 years old, he was the 12th Committee's oldest member. For this term, Trong is ranked number one in the Politburo, marking a return to normality.

Trọng hopes, under a one-party rule, to strengthen Vietnam's position in the world, turning it into an industrial country rather than a country that produces on primary products.[23] "A country without discipline would be chaotic and unstable [...]. [W]e need to balance democracy and law and order", he said at the close of a meeting to choose the country’s leadership for the next five years. "I very much hope the new faces in the politburo will push with reforms and bring the country forward, but I don't know whether they can do that", said Tran Thi Tram. "They will also have to really tackle the corruption problem, otherwise the people would be the ones to suffer most".[23]

On 3 October 2018, Trọng was chosen by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam with nearly 100% support to become the party nominee for the position of the President of Vietnam, becoming the official successor of Trần Đại Quang.[24][25]

The National Assembly elected Trọng as state president on 23 October 2018 with 99.79% percent of the vote. His swearing-in ceremony took place at the Grand Hall and was broadcast live on the afternoon on state radio and television systems.[26]

• Nguyen Phu Trong (2004). Viet Nam on The Path of Renewal. Hanoi: Thế giới Publishers. 351 p.[27]
• Nguyen Phu Trong (2015). Renewal in Việt Nam: Theory and Reality. Hanoi: Thế giới Publishers. 397 p.[28]
• Nguyen Phu Trong; Tran Dinh Nghiem; Vu Hien (1995). Vietnam from 1986. Hanoi: Thế giới Publishers. 116 p.[29]