Vietnam's parliament to meet over 'personnel issues', says letter to legislators

Vietnam's parliament is set to meet on Thursday to discuss unspecified "personnel issues", according to a letter sent to legislators seen by Reuters, amid speculation of a reshuffle of the Communist-ruled country's top leadership.

Multiple Vietnamese officials and diplomats said the possible resignation of the country's president Vo Van Thuong may be one of the personnel matters the parliament will discuss. A Vietnamese official informed about the matter confirmed the meeting, but press offices for Vietnam's foreign affairs ministry and the parliament did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The letter signed by the general secretary of the national assembly Bui Van Cuong and sent to members of the parliament, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said: "The National Assembly Standing Committee decided to convene the 6th extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly to consider and decide on personnel issues." It was unclear what decisions would be made at the special session, which comes after a state visit to Vietnam by the Dutch royal family slated for next week was on Thursday postponed "due to domestic circumstances," according to a statement from the Dutch Royal House.

The National Assembly had last year convened a special meeting in January to accept the sudden resignation of the then president Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who quit amid a wide and long-running campaign against corruption, which critics said could be used for political infighting. Thuong, 53, was elected president in March 2023 and is regarded as being close to Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party and Vietnam's most powerful figure.

The president holds a largely ceremonial role but is one of the top four political positions in the Southeast Asian nation.

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