The results of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), with Nguyen Phu Trong re-elected as General Secretary of the 13th Party Central Committee, have made headlines around Asia.

Hundreds of reporters cover the opening ceremony of the 13th National Party Congress

China's Xinhua News Agency reported that the 13th National Party Congress concluded on February 1 after eight days of working. Delegates agreed on several goals and tasks for the country’s future development, including making Vietnam a modern industrialised country with upper-middle incomes by 2030 and a developed country with high incomes by 2045.

“In the 2021-2025 period, Vietnam will strive to achieve an annual GDP growth rate of between 6.5% and 7%,” Xinhua reported.

It quoted Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong as saying in his closing remarks that: “Never before has our nation had the fortune, strength, position, and prestige it has today.” He also pledged that the CPV Central Committee will unite to continuously improve its leadership capacity, and strive to weather all difficulties to promote “the glorious renovation cause” in order to serve the country and meet the expectations of the entire party and the Vietnamese people.

Malaysia’s major news outlets also covered the re-election of Trong as the Party General Secretary and the results of the Politburo and CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat elections. The Star said that Trong and other newly-elected leaders will face the immediate task of reviving the country’s export-dependent economy amid the global pandemic and must also manage external challenges.

Free Malaysia Today described the Party General Secretary as spearheading a “blazing furnace” crackdown on corruption over the last five years, while Malaysiakini highlighted the election of new leaders.

Japan’s Asia Nikkei said the CPV decided on January 31 to give Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong a third term as the country’s top leader. Trong, it said, has been credited for stably managing State affairs, including the containment of the novel coronavirus and the management of the anti-corruption campaign.

It quoted Le Hong Hiep, a fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, as saying that Vietnam will maintain its current foreign policy trajectory, pursuing strategic diversification and international economic integration while deepening ties with major powers and supporting the role of ASEAN.

Large media outlets in Hong Kong (China) also touched on the anti-corruption campaign the CPV is running, saying that Trong will further intensify the campaign in the time to come.