Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down


What happened
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong abruptly stepped down amid a growing corruption scandal, the country's Communist Party announced on Wednesday. His resignation comes one year after his predecessor, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, resigned over allegations of misconduct in his administration.
Who said what
Thuong's "violations and flaws have negatively affected public perception as well as the reputation of the party and the state," Vietnam's Communist Party Central Committee said.
The commentary
Thuong's departure is a "worrying sign for political stability" in Vietnam, The Associated Press said. It comes after the government "ramped up efforts to weed out wrongdoing among senior leadership," Bloomberg said. Investors are "becoming nervous as the corruption crackdown drags on and expands to private businesses," the Financial Times said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Vietnam's legislature on Thursday appointed Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan as acting president, and he will serve "until the party decides the next candidate," Reuters said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Stereophonic: an 'extraordinary, electrifying odyssey'
The Week Recommends David Adjmi's Broadway hit about a 1970s rock band struggling to record their second album comes to the West End
-
Shifty: a 'kaleidoscopic' portrait of late 20th-century Britain
The Week Recommends Adam Curtis' 'wickedly funny' documentary charts the country's decline using archive footage
-
June 19 editorial cartoons
Thursday’s political cartoons include a robot therapist and ICE-cold assault
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein