THE country’s parliament is set to hold a special session to discuss “personnel matters” that may include the possible resignation of President Vo Van Thuong, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

A copy of a letter sent to members of the National Assembly calling to convene an “extraordinary session” on March 21 to discuss and decide on “personnel matters” was seen by reporters.

The speculation over Thuong’s possible resignation comes as the government ramped up efforts to weed out wrongdoing among senior party and government officials. Earlier in March, the police arrested three senior provincial party officials for allegedly receiving bribes involving two property companies.

Vietnam’s Foreign Affairs Ministry didn’t reply to requests for comment.

The presidency is the second most powerful position in the communist nation’s political hierarchy, next only to ailing 79-year-old Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong. Thuong, 53 was elected by parliament in March 2023, about two months after his predecessor stepped down for assuming responsibility for violations related to different graft cases.

He had been a rising star in the Communist Party and analysts saw him as a contender to potentially succeed Trong, who had backed his bid for presidency last year.

Before that, Thuong was the youngest permanent member of the Central Committee’s Secretariat. He has since had a front-row seat in the party’s foreign policy strategy, including being part of high-profile meetings with President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Speculation over Vietnam’s political succession resurfaced last year following the ouster of Thuong’s predecessor. It remains unclear who the party plans to put forward if there’s changing of the guard ahead of the next party congress in 2026. — Bloomberg