[PODCAST] Giải Mã - Đằng Sau Sự Trở Lại Của Cựu Tổng Bí Thư - Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Ladies and gentlemen, Although there is no specific role in the country's leadership, but recently, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung suddenly appeared frequently, attracting the special attention of the public. It is worth noting that his son is Nguyen Thanh Nghi, just assumed an important position,

making the name of his family Dung is mentioned more. So what is the story behind? Let's find out in today's topic. Don't forget to like, subscribe to, subscribe and share to support us. Thank you very much. and about his life, his career, his achievements, and his family. His career has gone through many important historical periods in Vietnam. It is connected to his social achievements,

but we can't not mention the ups and downs that he had to face. So his return now raises many interesting questions about his political motivation.

Yes. So let's start with the recent re-election events. There are two quite outstanding events. The first is on January 22, 2025, Mr. Nguyen Tan Du was awarded the Golden Star by the President of the Republic of Tuolumna. It is recorded as a great achievement, especially excellent.

Yes.

Then on August 19, 2025, he appeared with the President of Tuolum center of the National Exhibition Support.

That's right. These events look suspicious, but from the observation, it seems that they still have certain political signals. Especially when the 14th National Party Congress is coming up, which is expected to be in early 2026, right? 2026. But this comeback was almost the same as the new name in his son's career, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi?

Yes. On August 25, 2025, Mr. Nghi was appointed as the head of the Central Strategic Policy Committee, a position considered quite important.

To better understand that influence, we should look back a little bit about the history and career journey of Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung. Yes, I think it is necessary. the That's right. He did many different jobs in the army, from writing to medical and medical examinations.

He was injured 4 times, he was a 2nd class soldier. And he also participated in the war on the Southwestern border. Yes, after 1981, he was transferred to political work. He went to the University of Nguyen Ai Quoc, then he applied for a law degree, then he studied in the office. His political career started in the local area, specifically in Kien Giang province. He did many positions there.

Ah, in Kien Giang.

From the deputy head of the provincial committee, then the secretary of the district committee, deputy secretary of the provincial committee, chairman of the provincial people's committee, then the secretary of the provincial committee of Kien Giang. The journey from the base to the local government, it gave him a very special experience and network of connections before he went to the Central Government.

Yes, and that journey continued when he went to the Central Government. In 1996, he was the Minister of the Ministry of Public Security.

And just a year later, in 1997, he was the Politburo Committee Member. Very fast. Yes, very fast. Then, there was the term of Deputy Prime Minister, from 1998 to 2006.

In 2006, he was elected to the National Assembly as Prime Minister. In the next term, in 2011, he was re-elected with a very high vote count. In total, he had two terms as Prime Minister, until 2016. And in the period of 2006 to 2012, he was also the head of the Central Committee on Anti-Corruption. A long and busy career, so you must have left a lot of hidden messages,

both positive and controversial, right?

Of course, very much so. Speaking of positive, about the hidden messages, the period when you were prime minister is often referred to as the attempt to integrate the international economy. That's right.

Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization WTO in 2007. Yes, a big milestone and took on the role of a member of the UN Security Council in 2008-2009 and successfully held the APEC conference in 2006 and also promoted the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

Yes, TPP In terms of domestic economy, the first phase of the agreement the average growth was quite high, about 7.2% per year In terms of foreign affairs, he was phase of the economy had a fairly high average growth rate, about 7.2% per year.

In terms of foreign affairs, you are also known for promoting relations with the United States, and especially your position on the South China Sea.

I remember the 2014 speech,

which was about not changing sovereignty to gain the favor of the United Kingdom. Exactly. That speech caused quite a stir. However, in addition to those achievements, your tenure also has a lot of controversy. For example, what? For example, the economic instability of the financial sector during a period. The 2009 stimulus package was about 8 billion USD.

Yes, the stimulus package to deal with the global financial crisis. That's right. But the consequences were the increase in budget, the inflation, and the time from 2010 to 2011, up by 11.75% since 2010.

That's a very high number.

Yes, it is. And the price of copper in Vietnam has gone up by 4 times in just 14 months, until February 2011. Under that situation, the government had to issue a resolution on November 11, 2011 to cut the price of copper. But this policy was later criticized as making it difficult for many businesses.

I remember that in October 2012,

Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung publicly apologized to the Congress for these shortcomings. Yes, that's right. Another big problem is the corruption of state-owned companies.

Ah, VinaShin and VinaLins. Exactly.

VinaShin almost went bankrupt, debt was up to about 4 billion dollars. And VinaLins also lost a lot of money, and many of the wrongdoings were exposed. These cases are really shocking to the public right now. As the head of the government, he must have faced a lot of advice on the management responsibilities in these cases. Certainly, even the representative of the Chinese Parliament raised the issue of resignation related to Vinaxin.

Yes. These cases also raised a lot of questions about the model of the Affairs. These cases also raise questions about the country's economic group model, its effectiveness, and its monitoring mechanism.

What about the West-South Boxing Project? It's also a hot topic.

That's right. The West-South Boxing Project, in 2009, was strongly opposed by a public sector, including scientists, intellectualss and some military commanders. They were concerned about the environment, local culture and national security. There were suggestions sent to the leaders, including the case of Mr. Huy Ha Vu,

which is related to this project, although the case was later closed.

In addition to those specific issues, during his tenure, there were also rumors, group's corruption and interests.

Yes, this is a sensitive and complicated issue. To be clear, there is no official evidence to conclude. These arguments seem to reflect the relationship that is said to be not very good between Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung and Ms. Nguyen Phu Trong.

But this is just a theory.

And the result is, after the 12th Congress, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung has resigned.

Exactly. He no longer holds political positions in the party and the country.

The careers of leaders are often linked to family. What about Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung's family?

Let's go a closer look. His wife, Mrs. Tran Thanh Kiem, was born in 1951, married in 1972. She seems to be quite well-known.

That's right. She used to be the deputy director of the Department of Education and Training, but then she retired to the back of the school, and rarely appeared in public. However, there are also unverified information circulating on the Internet about her involvement in large real estate transactions in Phu Quoc and the West. But I repeat, there is no legal evidence.

Yes. And her son, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi, born in 1976,

is clearly following his father's political path.

Nghi has a pretty good education. He graduated from the University of Architecture, Ho Chi Minh City, and then got a doctorate at George Washington University in the United States.

His career was also very fast-paced. At 35, he was the Deputy Minister of Construction.

That's right. Then he became the Secretary of the Department of Construction, and then the Minister of Construction, and most recently, as we said, he was the Secretary of the Central Strategic Policy Committee.

A very smooth career path.

It should be noted that in 2018, Mr. Nghi, as the former leader of Kien Giang province, was among the individuals appointed by the government to be responsible for the violations of land management in 2011-2017. He had to be suspended and lost his experience after that. Ah, I see. And the daughter, Mrs. Nguyen Thanh Phuong, born in 1980, followed the path of business and was also very successful. Yes, Mrs. Phuong is a famous businesswoman. She has a master's degree in business management in Switzerland, was the founder and mainstay of the VCSC Vietnamese Stock Company. A large stock company in the market. Very large. In addition, she is also said to have influence in the field of bank, real estate, with large projects such as the Sa La urban area in Thu Thiem,

or the Saigon Peninsula project, or in the related business to the Sa Combine bank, for example. However, it must be emphasized that all these things have not been legally confirmed.

Mrs. Phuong married Mr. Nganh Bao Hoang, also known as Henry Nguyen.

Yes.

And the youngest son, Nguyen Minh Chiet, was born in 1988, and was more prominent than the two brothers.

There is little information about Mr. Chiet.

That's right. Currently, Nguyen Minh Chiet is the secretary of the Central Committee and the chairman of the Central Committee of Vietnam. So, all three children have their own paths,

but they seem to be very successful.

Yes.

And when analyzing the influence of this family, people not only look at each individual, but also talk about a network of relationships, including family relations, such as with the Tran family outside of Camau, Kin Giang, then the relationship with the business community,

with officials, even in the police, military.

A very complicated network. Very complicated. So when Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung appeared again, how did the public react? It seems to be quite reluctant.

Exactly. There was a very clear division in the public's reaction.

Specifically?

A part, I see, especially in the South and in the business community, they show support and even joy. They see Mr. Dung as a person with open-mindedness, who has the courage to think and do things, who has brought Vietnam into a global partnership, promoted international relations, and has a strong stance on the South China Sea.

They remember the period of economic growth.

But there are also a lot of opposite opinions. Yes, not a few opinions express criticism,

or at least are vague. They mention the old issues, like VinaShin, Vinalyze,

and the economic instability of Vimo, the Tây Nguyên doctor's project.

This opposition is very clear on social media, on the forums, right? I see a lot of debates. So, according to the expert's assessment,

what is the role of Mr. Nguyễn Tấn Dũng now and possibly in the future of Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, even though he no longer holds a position? This is a difficult question and the answer is mostly speculative. However, his appearance in important events, besides the general secretary, To Lam, clearly shows that he is not completely out of the main office. He still maintains a certain level of influence. He can play the role of an unofficial advisor or a spiritual supporter.

And what does it mean for your son, Nguyen Thanh Nghi, to be appointed as the head of the Central Military Policy Committee?

Ah, that would increase the speculation about the political revival of Mr. Dung's family, or at least the influence of the restoration. Mr. Nghi's position is a strategic position related to determining the long-term policy of the party.

What about the policy? Does his experience, for example, in foreign affairs, promote the TPP, the relationship with the United States, is it still valuable in the current context? I think it is.

The current international context is very complicated. Vietnam is facing many opportunities and challenges in foreign policy. Mr. Dung's experience in in handling relations with major countries, in promoting free trade agreements such as TPP, the predecessor of CPTPP, is certainly worth referring to. He can provide his opinion, even if it is not official.

Yes, so, through today's discussion, we have reviewed the complex and complex footprint of former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung,

a leader with undeniable traces of economy, international integration, and foreign policy. The political impact of the appearance of Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung's family is still a significant factor in the Vietnam war. Exactly. The information we have shows that there are many different perspectives on the legacy, present and future of Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung. It reflects the deep diversity

in the way of perceiving the public and the observer. The political scene in Vietnam is always active, always has surprising and complex factors. The rebirth of a person who used to play a central role like Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, especially in the context of the power transition and the rise of the next generation in his family, it raises a big question that perhaps only time can give us the clearest answer.

Ladies and gentlemen, recently, on the social network, there have been many rumors that Mr. Dinh La Thang may be awarded the National Day of the People on September 2 with the argument of more merit than sin and for the people, for the country. They also compare it to a controversial award that happened before. In the case of the former director of the city police, Mr. Do Huu Ca, Mr. Ca was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud and possession of property. When he received 35 billion dong to run the case, after the trial, the sentence was reduced to 7 years and until the 30th of April, 2025, he was pardoned even though he was sentenced to more than 2 years.

In addition, as soon as the news of the case reached Mr. Dinh La Thang, his family actor who once held high positions in the industry. He is now a famous actor who has been in the spotlight for a long time.

He is now a famous actor who has been in the spotlight for a long time. He is now a famous actor who has been in the spotlight of controversy on the internet recently. It's a story about the people who called for a special review for Mr. Dinh La Thang, a person who used to hold very high positions, on the occasion of the National Day of September 2, 2025. To have a broad view, we will base it on some main sources of information. The first is a fairly concise analysis,

and the second, a very important source, is the official legal statement from the lawyer representing Mr. Dinh La Thang's family published in the Vietnamese newspaper. The purpose of today's talk is to try to break the layers of this issue, from the emotions, support of a public sector, to the current legal regulations,

and of course, the official stance from Mr. Thang's family.

Hello everyone. This is a very complicated issue. It is based on social feelings, the way we see and feel about a person, about what is considered a crime. On the other hand, it's about the rules of the law,

which are very specific and strict about the conditions of the property. And the official information from the family, as you just said, it makes the story more complex, and needs to be considered carefully.

Yes, that's right. So let's start with the support comments first. Recently, on social media, especially Facebook, it's not hard to find posts that call for a pardon for Mr. Dinh La Thang. His image is often built

to be a very sober leader, who dares to think and dare to do things, a decisive person. And the most common argument we hear is that he has done more than he should have. I even see some specific ideas being raised,

such as starting a signature collection to support the property, or giving money to help him restore some of his civil liabilities. Some articles also mention specific age groups of people with voice, such as the journalist Tran Thi Sanh or the journalist Duy Anh. These articles often emphasize personal qualities

or actions that are considered to be his past and present. Yes, the way the supporters of the article about Mr. Đinh La Thăng's crime are worth a closer look. In terms of the work, they not only talk about major projects or his early books, but also reveal details that seem very human and life-like.

For example, his photos in court have him giving up his seat to another defendant or adjusting the microphone for him. Or the old photos, when he was still working in corporations, show his closeness to the workers,

like having a meal together, drinking wine, or eating cucumber. These details are used to build the image of a loving person.

Ah, so they focus on such small details to highlight the love of each person.

That's right. And when it comes to crime, that is, the crimes that have been judged by the court, what do the judges usually see? They say that Mr. Thang's mistake mainly stems from his hasty temperament, his desire to act quickly, and his desire to create a disruption. Especially in the context of national key projects, especially projects related to energy security, which are often under great pressure on the progress of the project.

Since then, they have thought that Mr. Thang may have taken subjective decisions that were not really appropriate under that pressure. Another point that is often mentioned is that he, as the leader, has taken the managerial responsibility instead of the subordinate. That is, the mistake is the managerial responsibility, not the personal gain of corruption,

which is not a beneficiary factor in the criminal cases.

I understand.

That is, they are trying to separate the manager the manager and the personal gain of the visitor.

Exactly. And one more point is the comparison. Some people have given evidence of Mr. Do Huu Ca, the former director of the Hai Phong police, who was also a senior official and was appointed to compare. They argue that if Mr. Ca was granted a promotion, why did Mr. Thang, with what is considered a crime and a wrongful nature, not a corruption, have to suffer a total sentence of up to 30 years in prison? This sentence is considered too heavy, and is somewhat unfair when compared to other senior officials.

Obviously, there is a wave of disarray showing sympathy, regret, and a desire for a certain pardon. But we also need to look at the legal aspect. The analysis has clearly shown the flaws in the law.

Yes, this is the second key point that we need to make clear. When it comes to the legal aspect, the picture is completely different. According to the law of the present-day Vietnam, for a criminal to be considered a special offender, they must meet many specific conditions. In the case of Mr. Dinh La Thang, there are at least two conditions that he has not met at this time.

The first and perhaps most obvious condition is the time for the criminal to be sentenced. The law stipulates that the special offender must be sentenced to at least one-third of the time for the criminal to be sentenced. Mr. Dinh La Thang will be sentenced to at least 1 in 3 years for the time he was sentenced. He was sentenced to a total of 4 different sentences. The total sentence for all 4 sentences is 30 years. This is also the highest sentence in the Vietnamese criminal law. Therefore, to meet the time requirement, Thang needs to be sentenced to at least 1 in 3 years,

which is about 10 years in prison. However, at the moment, his actual sentence is not enough. He has only served for about 6 years, if I'm not mistaken. That is, it takes about 4 more years to reach 1 in 3.

10 years. Yes, that is a clear time frame.

What is the second condition? The second condition? The second condition is also extremely important and often a big challenge for criminals, which is to fulfill their civil liabilities. The cases have forced Mr. Dinh La Thang to be liable for damages to the country and related to the total amount of money up to about 800 billion VND.

This is a sum of the cases. This is a huge amount of money. And according to the law, one of the conditions for a criminal to be executed after the additional punishment is to be fined, and in particular, to complete the criminal compensation task, which is this civilian responsibility. Although there is information that the family tried to cover part of it,

but it is clear that the completion of the entire compensation task of 800 billion VND has not been possible so far.

800 billion VND is not possible. 800 billion VND! That's a huge amount. So both the conditions for the court's time and the recovery of the civil consequences

have not been met. Exactly. And this emphasizes a fundamental principle. The consideration of the property, although it is a policy that shows the prosperity of the country, it must be carried out based on the legal basis,

must comply with the conditions, standards that have been legislated. It cannot be carried out on the basis of the law, must comply with the conditions and standards that have been legislated. It cannot be solely based on feelings, calls or pressure from the public opinion. Because if it creates exceptions that are not based on the law, it can lead to dangerous precedent,

create unfairness among criminals, and even create holes in the legal system.

Yes, this brings us to the third part, which is also very noteworthy, which is the official response from Mr. Dinh La Thang's family. This information comes from the legal report of the Hoang Hung Lawyer's Office, the family representative unit, and was published by the Vietnamese newspaper.

Does this information make any more sense? Oh, this report brings a very important perspective, directly from the family, of the most important people. It makes their position clear in the context of the calls that are being made. There are several main points that the lawyer's office emphasizes in this report. First, and perhaps most importantly, Mr. Dinh La Tang's family firmly affirms that they do not violate the law,

do not ask for anything, or suggest that any individual, organization, write a letter, post a message, or call for special actions for Mr. Thang. Ah, so the calls on social media are completely self-relevant from the public,

not from the family.

According to this report, it is true. They affirm that they do not stand behind those calls. Second, they express their concern. The family is concerned that the posting, sharing of articles, information, images related to Mr. Dinh La Thang, whether for good or bad purposes, may have negative or even negative effects

on his rights and legal interests during his trial.

They are concerned about unwanted effects from this information.

That's right. Therefore, the third point in the statement is a clear requirement. The family suggests that individuals, organizations, do not use the images, personal information of Mr. Dinh La Thang and his family when there is no official approval from them or the legal representative. A very clear request to protect privacy and avoid unlawful activities.

Yes. And this report also does not forget to mention an important legal point. They emphasize that in all the cases that have been legally valid, Mr. Dinh La Thang was not charged with property theft or embezzlement, meaning that he had no personal interests or benefits in the crimes.

The punishment that he had to bear, according to them, was related to the responsibility of the person in charge of the management and operation of state-owned economies, which has caused serious consequences.

This also partially reinforced the argument that the support party had issued. So house as the only joint property of the couple to have money to carry out a part of the civil liability as required by the court. They also reported on Mr. Thang's health condition, saying he was suffering from some poor diseases and needed to be cared for. The family also said they had voluntarily sold their house as the only joint property of the couple to have money to carry out a part of the civil liability as requested by the court. At the same time, they also reported on Mr. Thang's health condition, said he was suffering from some poor diseases and needed to be cared for regularly.

These are quite specific and personal information. So, through this notice, the family wants to send a fairly clear message. They do not like the call, they are concerned about the negative impact, and they want to protect legal rights personal rights of Mr. Thang.

Exactly. This statement almost puts a stop to the speculation about whether the family is behind or silently supporting the calls on the Internet. Their stance is quite cautious and keeps a distance.

It can be seen that the three main groups are coexistently and are opposites. On the one hand, there are feelings, empathy, and pity from a small part of the public. They look at what is considered a public attack, into the image of a decisive leader, and call for tolerance. On the other hand, there is a very firm legal framework, with very specific and clear rules in the special law

on the time of prosecution, on the meaning of civil injury, which Mr. Dinh. Thang's family through the legal representative that they do not stand behind these claims and are even concerned about the negative effects from them.

Yes, a clear opposition between social sentiment, legal principles and the position of the people. And this whole story really raises a bigger question, a question that is beyond the specific case of Mr. Dinh La Thang. That is, in a rule of law, where the law must be respected, where everyone is equal before the law, then whether factors such as social sentiment,

recognition of the work or contribution in the past of a person who once held great importance, how should it play a role? Are those factors necessary? And if so, to what extent? It is considered in addition to very specific legal and power regulations such as the time of appeal or compensation for damages

when the state considers the application of the policy of the red-lip as a specialty. This is an unanswerable question. It is related to the balance between the legitimacy of the law and the humanitarianity and tolerant nature of society. This is the end of our program. Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

Goodbye and see you again.