Former general secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, who died in office in 2024. He was succeeded by To Lam.
Under Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam pursued "bamboo diplomacy"—bending but not breaking when bigger powers huff and puff. The approach allowed Vietnam to maintain ties with both America and China while refusing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, yet receiving less opprobrium than countries such as India.
Nguyen Phu Trong initiated the "blazing furnace" anti-corruption campaign, under which over 330,000 party members were prosecuted or punished and tens of thousands resigned. The campaign had the side-effect of making bureaucrats drastically risk-averse.
If I have not seen so far it is because I stood in giant's footsteps.