Vietnam's ruling Communist Party re-elects its 76-year-old chief

HANOI: Vietnam's ruling Communist Party re-elected its 76-year-old chief, Mr Nguyen Phu Trong, for a rare third five-year term yesterday.

Mr Trong, who emerged on top in a power struggle at the last congress in 2016 and has spearheaded a "blazing furnace" crackdown on corruption in the last five years, was granted an exception to party rules that say people over the age of 65 should retire, cementing his position as one of the country's longest-serving leaders for decades.

Mr Trong's re-election as party general secretary came at a party congress in Hanoi, where 1,600 party delegates are concluding eight days of meetings, mostly behind closed doors, to pick a new leadership team, aiming to bolster Vietnam's ongoing economic success.