Vietnam's defence minister and head of the military faction within the Vietnamese Communist Party. At the January 2026 party congress, army-controlled social-media accounts positioned him as a potential successor to To Lam, the general secretary. An outright ousting of Mr Lam is considered unlikely, but General Phan Van Giang may seek to become president—a job with less clout than general secretary but enough influence to check at least some of Mr Lam's reforms. The army, which has its own disciplinary system, escaped the anti-corruption purges that Mr Lam launched as Vietnam's top cop. Vietnam's generals run many businesses and are hostile to market reforms that would subject their companies to more competition. They are also suspicious of Mr Lam's apparent desire to form closer ties with Western countries and Asian democracies.
"Nuclear war would really set back cable."