Vietnam Communist Party appoints new interior minister and approves new cities at 3rd Central Committee meeting

The 3rd Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of Vietnam was held from 20 to 24 July 2026, ending with a closing speech by General Secretary and President Tô Lâm. The meeting approved several key decisions.

Nguyễn Tiến Hai, a veteran party official from Cà Mau, was appointed Minister of Interior for the 2026‑2031 term. The Party also approved the establishment of two centrally administered cities—Quảng Ninh and Bắc Ninh—aimed at creating new growth poles, smart‑green urban models and strengthening regional integration.

New Party regulations were adopted, including amendments to the rules for implementing the Party Charter and a new code of conduct defining prohibited actions for members. The Party highlighted the need to address execution bottlenecks, stating: “Trung ương thống nhất đánh giá: trong 6 tháng đầu năm 2026, việc cụ thể hóa Nghị quyết Đại hội lần thứ XIV và các nghị quyết chiến lược của Đảng được triển khai khẩn trương, quyết liệt.”

Preparations for the first extraordinary session of the XVI National Assembly (3–24 August 2026) were finalized, with 31 agenda items, including 19 draft laws. The Party stressed rapid yet quality‑assured legislative work, continued reform of administrative procedures and alignment of responsibilities with resources. Overall, the Party concluded that the new two‑level local governance model shows stability, though execution remains the main challenge.