The rapid succession of changes in high-level personnel appointments following the 3rd Plenum of the 14th Central Committee is fueling widespread speculation among international political observers about a covert power shift at the highest levels of Ba Dinh.
The focus of attention is reportedly the Southwestern region, considered the strategic stronghold of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
It is known that in September 2025, Mr. Do Thanh Binh left Can Tho for Hanoi to assume the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs, handing over the position of Municipal Party Secretary to National Assembly Secretary-General Le Quang Tung.
However, just over 300 days later, a surprise decision announced by Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Head of the Central Organization Commission, on the afternoon of July 25, 2026, completely reversed the situation.
Mr. Do Thanh Binh abruptly left the capital to return to his former position in Can Tho, while Mr. Le Quang Tung was reassigned to serve as Secretary of the An Giang Provincial Party Committee, a newly merged province formed from Kien Giang and An Giang.
According to well-informed sources, the fact that a minister in Le Minh Hung’s cabinet had to leave his post after only a short time and then return to his former locality cannot be viewed as a routine administrative reassignment.
Analysts note that the biggest question raised is whether this is a move to “cut off political ties” aimed at gradually stripping National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man of his influence in this strategically important region controlled by To Lam.
Can Tho and the provinces of the Mekong Delta have long been the power base and a solid political springboard for Mr. Man. The reshuffling of key positions here may also be a calculated power purge orchestrated by Mr. Ba Dung.
As ministerial seats are revoked and strategic pawns are reshuffled at a dizzying pace, this also reflects the fierce behind-the-scenes competition, where no seat is truly safe under Mr. To Lam’s increasingly tight control.
Hong Linh – Thoibao.de
