Reading the political report delivered by Vietnamese General Secretary To Lam to the 14th Party Congress, and stripping away its layers of propaganda, a stark portrait emerges of a new power figure—more decisive and more ambitious, yet burdened by existential contradictions the Communist Party of Vietnam is choosing to ignore. Comparing the 2016 report by […] The post Era of Ascent: decoding To Lam’s 14th Party Congress report appeared first on Asia Times .