Nguyen Tan Dung set to become new Vietnam prime minister

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said he would resign soon as Vietnam prepares to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) this year.

Nguyen Tan Dung, Phan's deputy and long groomed for the position, is widely seen as the prime minister's successor.


Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai leaves the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh before a National Assembly session on May 16. Reuter's photo from Yahoo News.

Phan helped transform war-torn Vietnam into Southeast Asia's fastest-growing economy. His successor, Nguyen, is a former state bank governor with the same eye on expanding Vietnam's presence in the international economy.

Hanoi is moving energetically toward joining the WTO and hopes to reach industrialized nation status by 2020 and to eradicate poverty by 2010, while maintaining a "socialist orientation."



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