General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has ruled through three generations of Prime Ministers. During the time when Nguyen Tan Dung was Prime Minister, the competition between the Party Central Committee Office and the Prime Minister’s Office was the fiercest. But then Dung failed and agreed to retire from politics because he was too old, even though he was younger than Trong.
During the time of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Phuc “had peace and harmony” and did not want to confront the party chief, but Phuc could only sit for one term and then was eliminated.
During Pham Minh Chinh’s time, Chinh was a close friend of Nguyen Tan Dung’s family, thanks to that, Nguyen Thanh Nghi was able to safely sit in the position of Minister of Construction.
Up to now, Chinh’s term as Prime Minister has gone more than halfway, but he has only “suffered the blow” and did not counterattack the party head. Therefore, even though two Deputy Prime Ministers were removed and one person died, Nguyen Thanh Nghi could have sat in one of those three Deputy Prime Minister seats, but Nghi still could not be. Nghi lost to Tran Luu Quang and Tran Hong Ha. Nghi still has a chance to fill the seat left by Le Van Thanh, however, the fighting factions in the leadership have not yet ended, so Le Van Thanh’s position is still empty, no one can sit in it.
The political career of Dung’s family depends on the fate of PM Pham Minh Chinh. If Chinh is not strong enough to play “hand to hand” with Dung’s former enemy, but has enough tenacity to last until the end of this term, then he can watch for the opponent’s loopholes to make a move.
It was Pham Minh Chinh who made a surprise move at the 13th National Congress in early 2021, making Vuong Dinh Hue’s faction unable to react in time. Information from inside said that after Chinh suddenly won the Prime Minister’s position, Nguyen Thanh Long invited Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vo Van Thuong and Truong Thi Mai to dinner, to discuss the Prime Minister position that Pham Minh Chinh just won.
Because Pham Minh Chinh did not like Nguyen Thanh Long, the Minister of Health at that time was very worried. Those attending that dinner also expressed surprise and said that Pham Minh Chinh had plotted for a long time and prepared very carefully to win the Prime Minister’s position. Ensuring the element of surprise until the last minute caused Vuong Dinh Hue to lose painfully.
That is Chinh’s experience of turning defeat into victory at the 13th National Congress. That unexpected and dangerous move is considered to have had Dung’s advice. So after becoming Prime Minister, Chinh saved the political career of the eldest son of the Dung family – Nguyen Thanh Nghi. Because before becoming Minister of Construction, in August 2020, Secretary Secretary Trong disciplined Nguyen Thanh Nghi for land violations in Phu Quoc. In October, Nghi left his position as Secretary of the Kien Giang Provincial Party Committee and transferred to the position of Deputy Minister of Construction. This is a demotion, because the Provincial Party Secretary is equal to the rank of minister, because they are both members of the Party Central Committee. It was Pham Minh Chinh’s sudden seizure of the Prime Minister’s position that saved Nguyen Thanh Nghi.
Pham Minh Chinh’s political career not only affected Nguyen Thanh Nghi, but also Nguyen Minh Triet – the youngest son of the Ba Dung family. Recently, Nguyen Minh Triet was re-elected as chairman of the 11th Central Vietnam Student Association. This is not a step forward but a stagnation, but nonetheless, Nguyen Minh Triet still maintains his form and waits for the right time.
So what is Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung waiting for? He waited for the results of the fight at the top, which his side, Pham Minh Chinh, was preparing for the next 2 years.
If at the 14th National Congress slated in early 2026, Pham Minh Chinh makes another “sprint” and surpasses Vuong Dinh Hue to take the position of General Secretary, then it seems that the political careers of the two sons of Dung will be glorious again. Nguyen Minh Triet in particular and Ba Dung’s family in general are preparing every possibility to wait for the decisive moment.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
