On June 27, 2025, the Vietnamese National Assembly officially passed the Law on People’s Army Officers (amended), which specifically stipulates the highest military rank for positions in the National Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee.
According to observers, this is not simply a technical adjustment in the ranking system, but it also reflects the reshaping of the balance of power between key factions within the ruling Communist Party.
Specifically, there is an alliance of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and the Army generals, headed by Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang. And it is worth mentioning that this alliance completely goes against the interests and power ambitions of General Secretary To Lam.
Previously, an issue that the state media deliberately “avoided” was the fact that police Lieutenant General Le Tan Toi, Chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee, was returned to the Ministry of Public Security by the National Assembly and was no longer allowed to “represent” the police forces in the legislative body.
This was an effort to eliminate the influence of the police faction in the National Assembly, in order to pave the way for military generals to hold these key positions in the National Defense and Security Committee of the National Assembly.
This agency is important in making laws and supervising power in the military and national security fields, which has long been controlled by General Secretary To Lam in every way.
This is completely opposite to the previous trend when heads of the important committees of the National Assembly all were taken by police generals so they manipulate the legislative process to benefit the police forces.
However, under the tenure of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, who is said to have a close relationship with General Phan Van Giang, an alliance between the National Assembly and the Army faction has clearly begun to take shape.
According to insiders, the alliance between the National Assembly and the Army will be a threat to the absolute power of General Secretary To Lam, and at the same time, it is something that To Lam and the police fraction do not want.
The reason is that General Secretary To Lam is said to have the ambition to control the entire political system with the iron fist of the police forces.
In the recent past, To Lam has succeeded in placing a series of his police generals in key positions in key areas in strategic provinces and cities as well as in the apparatus of central party agencies.
However, for the National Assembly and the Defense Ministry, they are still two strongholds that are difficult to conquer. Specifically, in the past, many police personnel were placed in the legislative body, but under the leadership of Tran Thanh Man, this trend is being reversed.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry under the leadership of General Phan Van Giang is currently striving to become the central political force to control the General Secretary and the Ministry of Public Security.
The expansion of the Army’s power in the legislative system may be a defensive move but is also ready to counter if necessary.
Especially, in the context of the party preparing to enter the final stage of the 14th National Congress, General Secretary To Lam and the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security understand this very well.
Meanwhile, To Lam is trying his best to protect absolute power through various systems of personnel within the party and state systems. However, To Lam has been facing an equally decisive alliance. This is an alliance with enough influence to counter his efforts to “unify” power. And the counterattack spearhead is playing an effective role in countering the absolute abuse of power.
To Lam clearly understands this, that he himself is gradually losing his advantage.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
