Vietnam's Communist Party boss, To Lam, was elected as the country's president by the National Assembly. He achieved this in a move that consolidates authority, marking a shift from traditional collective governance.

Vietnam’s Communist Party boss To Lam was elected president by the National Assembly on Tuesday, capping his bid to centralise authority in a nation where senior cadres have traditionally governed collectively. In less than two years as party chief, the 68-year-old has swept aside rivals and transformed the country through an aggressive reform drive – literally redrawing the map as he combined provinces and slashed bureaucracy. Lam has set an ambitious target of 10 per cent annual growth for the...