The Politburo has made a surprise decision to change key leadership positions in Ho Chi Minh City, appointing Tran Luu Quang, former Deputy Prime Minister, as the new Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City to replace Nguyen Van Nen for the remainder of the 2020-2025 term.
According to the Politburo’s decision, Nguyen Van Nen – a Politburo member – has been transferred to the central level to serve as Standing Member of the Document Sub-committee for the Party’s 14th National Congress. Simultaneously, Nen has been assigned to monitor and guide the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee until the Party’s 14th Congress.
This personnel change is considered quite unexpected as the 2020-2025 term has only a few months remaining. Typically, the position of Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary is assigned to a Politburo member, so the appointment of Tran Luu Quang – who is not currently a Politburo member – suggests this may be an important stepping stone preparing him to lead the nation’s largest city in the upcoming term.
Another notable move in this personnel reshuffle is the transfer of Nguyen Thanh Nghi, son of former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and current Standing Deputy Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City, to the central level to replace Tran Luu Quang’s previous position at the Central Policy and Strategy Commission.
Previously, many political observers believed that transferring Nghi from his position as Minister of Construction to Standing Deputy Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City was a signal that he would be prepared to replace Nen as Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City in the new 2025-2030 term. However, actual developments have taken a different course than these predictions.
While the specific reasons behind these personnel decisions have not been clearly disclosed, these changes have provided greater clarity regarding Ho Chi Minh City’s leadership landscape in the coming period, particularly in the context of preparations for the new term and the Party’s 14th Congress.
