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Asia in Review (AiR) Webinar Series
Online Panel Discussion
Vietnam 2026
Leadership Reconfiguration and Policy Direction between the 14th Party Congress and the National Assembly Cycle
Hosted by
CPG’s Constitutional Law & Politics / Human Rights Hub (CCHH)
in cooperation with the Asian Governance Foundation (AGF)
Friday, March 13, 2026
15:00-16:30 p.m. ICT (GMT+7)
Online via Zoom video teleconferencing
Concept Note
Vietnam’s 2026 National Assembly cycle represents a pivotal moment in the country’s institutional calendar, primarily centered on the formalization of senior leadership appointments while also providing important signals regarding policy direction and governance priorities. Reflecting this dual significance, the event will focus first on elite and personnel dynamics, before turning to the broader policy implications emerging from the current political cycle.
The National Assembly cycle follows the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), concluded in January 2026, which reset Vietnam’s leadership configuration for the 2026–2031 period. As the Congress constitutes the decisive arena for leadership selection and strategic orientation, its outcomes define the framework within which the Assembly cycle unfolds.
Personnel decisions remain the dominant analytical dimension of the 2026 cycle. The Congress unanimously reappointed General Secretary Tô Lâm, reinforcing his central position within the political system. Equally significant were the signals embedded in the composition of the newly elected Central Committee and the 19-member Politburo. The absence of several incumbent senior state leaders from the Central Committee — most notably State President Lương Cường and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính — indicated an impending reconfiguration of key state offices, placing leadership transition, authority consolidation, and pillar balance at the center of institutional developments in 2026.
Within Vietnam’s political sequencing, the National Assembly functions as the constitutional mechanism through which Party decisions are translated into state structures. The allocation of senior state positions, the distribution of executive authority, and potential role consolidations therefore represent critical variables shaping governance dynamics in the next leadership term.
Alongside leadership restructuring, the Congress also articulated a forward-looking policy agenda that frames Vietnam’s development trajectory. Official documents emphasized a shift from policy formulation toward implementation, highlighting administrative streamlining, bureaucratic restructuring, and governance efficiency. The leadership reaffirmed ambitious economic objectives and identified priority areas including digital transformation, innovation-driven growth, infrastructure synchronization, energy security, and human capital development.
Externally, the Congress reaffirmed Vietnam’s emphasis on international integration combined with strategic autonomy, underscoring continuity in foreign policy amid a volatile regional environment.
Against this backdrop, the webinar will examine how leadership consolidation interacts with policy execution during Vietnam’s 2026 National Assembly cycle, assessing implications for political stability, governance management, and economic strategy.
Speakers
Dr. Nguyen Khac Giang
Visiting Fellow, Vietnam Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore
is Visiting Fellow at the Vietnam Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. He was formerly Head of the Political Research Unit of the Hanoi-based Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR). Giang earned his PhD in Political Science at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Giang is a frequent commentator on Vietnamese affairs and writes extensively for major Vietnamese and English news outlets.
Prof. Dr. Carlyle A. Thayer
Emeritus Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Australia
is Emeritus Professor at The University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence force Academy in Canberra. He was educated at Brown, Yale (MA in Southeast Asian Studies) and the Australian National University (PhD International Relations). He is a Southeast Asia regional specialist with special expertise on Vietnam.
In 2024, ScholarGPS.com rated Thayer among the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide for his prolific publication record, high impact, and outstanding quality of his scholarly contributions. Thayer was also ranked 4th globally as a Highly Ranked Scholar across all disciplines for his lifetime work Vietnam. In 2025, Thayer was ranked 25th globally as a Highly Ranked Scholar across all disciplines for his lifetime work on Southeast Asia.
He is Director of Thayer Consultancy a small business registered in Australia in 2002 that provides political analysis of current regional security issues and other research support to selected clients.
Agenda
| 3 – 3:05 p.m. | Welcoming Words Henning Glaser, Director, German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG); Executive Director & Chairman of the Board of Directors, Asian Governance Foundation (AGF) |
| 3:05 – 4 p.m. | Expert Panel Discussion Panelists Dr. Nguyen Khac Giang, Visiting Fellow, Vietnam Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore Prof. Dr. Carlyle A. Thayer, Emeritus Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Australia Moderated by Morten Strantzen, Research Associate, CPG; Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Asia in Review |
| 4 – 4:25 p.m. | Open Forum Discussion |
| 4:30 p.m. | Concluding Remarks Henning Glaser, Director, German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG); Executive Director & Chairman of the Board of Directors, Asian Governance Foundation (AGF) |
Registration
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Inquiries
For program content, please contact Mr. Morten Strantzen at morten.strantzen@cpg-online.de
For administrative matters, please contact Ms. Venus Phuangkom at events@cpg-online.de