Back to English Comments News - December 24, 2018 | 08:00 am GMT+7 It has been riveting year for Vietnam, with some tragic losses, major corruption trials, euphoric football victories and ignition of new hopes.Parliament makes historic presidential appointmentOn October 23, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was sworn in as the President of Vietnam, following the demise of President Tran Dai Quang, who died in office of illness a month earlier.Trong was unanimously nominated for the position by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam earlier that month. No other candidates were proposed for the job.With his ascension, Trong became the first Vietnamese leader to be the head of state and the Party since founding President Ho Chi Minh. While there would not be any major shift in Vietnam’s policies, Trong holding two offices would allow him to better cut through bureaucratic red tape and bolster his stance on fighting corruption, political experts … [Read more...] about 10 defining moments for Vietnam in 2018 – VnExpress International