Former HCMC chairman loses party central committee position

At the sixth plenum 13th Central Committee of Vietnam’s Communist Party morning, the committee voted and agreed that three members – Nguyen Thanh Phong, Bui Nhat Quang, President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, and Huynh Tan Viet, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Committee of Agencies – resign from the 13th Party Central Committee.

Previously, the Politburo issued warnings to the three officials. On July 8, a warning was issued to Phong and the Party Committee of the HCMC People’s Committee for the 2016-2021 term.

Phong, during his time as Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Personnel Committee and Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, has to take direct responsibility for violations and shortcomings of the Party Personnel Committee and the People’s Committee of HCMC for the 2016-2021 term; as also direct and personal responsibility for violations and shortcomings in the performance of assigned responsibilities and missions, the Politburo said.

It also assessed that the violations and shortcomings of the Party Committee of the HCMC People’s Committee for the 2016-2021 term “have caused very serious consequences.” It further said that Phong’s violations “have caused serious consequences that are difficult to overcome, causing great loss of state property.”

These violations have undermined public opinion and aroused anger among party members and people; adversely affected the reputation of the Party Committee, the government, socio-economic development of the city and Phong personally.

Phong, 60, is a native of the southern province of Ben Tre. He holds a doctorate in economics and was a member of the Party Central Committee for many terms.

He was HCMC chairman from 2018 to August 2021, following which he was made deputy head of the Central Economic Commission.

On Sept. 30, the Politburo issued a warning to Quang and instructed the authorities to impose administrative discipline on him in accordance with party discipline. He bears primary responsibility for the Standing Board of the Party Committee of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences’s violations and deficiencies from November 2019 to August 2020, as well as the 2020-2025 period.

Quang violated the Party Committee’s principles of organization and activities, as well as the Party Committee’s working regulations, resulting in disunity within the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and the leadership of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences; violating the regulations on what party members are not allowed to do and others.

He and a number of affiliated units have many long-standing violations in the use of finance, property, and public investment; scientific research management, training; resolve the complaint report; failing to strictly follow the instructions and conclusions of superior party organizations.

His violations and shortcomings were assessed as “causing serious consequences, internal disunity, frustration among cadres and party members, adversely affecting the reputation of the party organization, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and himself.”

Quang is 47 years old and has a Ph.D. in economics. Since 1995, he has held different positions at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. In 2014, he was assigned vice chairman of central Ninh Thuan Province and named President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in November 2019.

On July 22, the Politburo issued a warning to Viet because, as Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Council of Phu Yen Province, he was responsible for violations and shortcomings of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee, Standing Provincial Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term, Party Committee of the Provincial People’s Council for the 2016-2021 term. He had to take direct and personal responsibility for the performance of assigned duties and tasks, the Politburo said.

Viet’s violations and shortcomings caused serious consequences and great damage to the state budget, reduced the prestige of the Party Committee, local government and Viet, negatively affecting public opinion and triggering public outrage, it added.