Vietnam's corruption crackdown gaining steam and President Phuc now forced to quit

In this file photo taken on October 21, 2022 United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (L) walks with Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi. - Vietnam's president Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned, state media said on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. - AFP

HANOI, Jan 17 (dpa): Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has stepped down and vacated his position within the Politburo of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party, the government said in a statement on Tuesday following an emergency meeting.

Phuc’s ouster as president and removal from the Politburo, the most powerful decision-making body of the Vietnamese Communist Party, is a highly unusual development that comes amid a broader corruption crackdown.