Last year, in the midst of the Asian New Year celebrations in Vietnam, news broke of the first disappointing results of a major anti-corruption campaign: for the first time in the history of the SRV, President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigned early. Exactly one year later, a campaign led by the Communist Party of Vietnam forced the next president, Võ Văn Thưởng, to resign.

Vietnam has faced a similar situation before. In 2016, dozens of top managers of the country’s state-owned companies were sacked at the behest of CPV General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, many of them later receiving prison sentences for misconduct. However, these reshuffles have not slowed the country’s economic growth, which has been surprising and also unpleasant for many outside observers.

Despite the radicality of the measures taken, the Asia-Pacific region appreciated the determination of the Communist Party leaders. In fact, it is precisely this line that helps the country’s economy to maintain positive annual GDP growth, which has long been called an “economic miracle”.

At the same time, Hanoi insists that the anti-corruption campaign itself and the current resignations should not be perceived as a political struggle between........

© New Eastern Outlook