Vietnam's government, state and legislature have three new top leaders younger than their predecessors within two days, who are expected to give a stronger boost to the country's various spheres, especially economy.

The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam, the country's highest legislative body, elected Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, 57, Prime Minister, and Secretary of the Party Committee of southern Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Minh Triet, 64, State President on Tuesday, after electing the Secretary of the Party Committee of Hanoi capital Nguyen Phu Trong, 62, the legislature's chairman on Monday.

The three new faces of Dung, Triet and Trong with both virtue and talent will breathe new life to the efficiency of operations of Vietnam's government, state and legislature. Dung and Triet, born in the southern region, have worked for years in southern localities including Ho Chi Minh City, which is considered the country's most dynamic locality in terms of many fields, especially economy. Dung, the youngest prime minister of Vietnam in the last 20 years, is expected to keep on making considerable contribution to accelerating the country's renovation process, which prioritizes economic development and political and social stabilization, as he, along with his mentor Phan Van Khai, have done since September 1997 when Dung took office as permanent deputy prime minister at the young age of 48.

Many local and foreign observers have believed that Dung, liberal and experienced, will, in the coming time, especially after its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), have policies to continue market reforms which have changed a poor country like Vietnam into one of the world's fastest-growing economies with economic growth of 8.4 percent in 2005.

Their belief is not baseless since Khai and Dung have played a leading role in the introduction of the Enterprise Law in 2000, which has fueled economic growth and been hailed by the local business community. Besides, Dung has been in charge of many fields relating to economy.

Dung was head of the Economic Commission under the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) between June 1996 and August 1997, governor of the State Bank of Vietnam in 1998, and chairman of the National Finance and Monetary Council, head of the Central Steering Committee on Reforming State-owned Enterprises, head of the State Committee on National Major Works, and permanent deputy prime minister from September 1997 and June 2006. As a deputy prime minister, he was in charge of many important ministries and sectors, including public security, finance, industry and transport.

In his acceptance speech on Tuesday afternoon, Dung stressed that the Vietnamese government will "synchronously build up the socialist-oriented market economy, be active and dynamic in the international economic integration, rapidly develop economic sectors and types of enterprises, mobilize and well use all sources, especially the internal strength to speed up industrialization and modernization."

The government will take measures to develop the knowledge- based economy in a quick and sustainable manner and other fields, including culture, education, science and technology, Dung said, adding it will also attach importance to major social issues like poverty reduction, healthcare provision, job creation, and anti- corruption, wastefulness and bureaucracy.

Like Dung, newly-elected state president Nguyen Minh Triet is a reform supporter who is expected to follow his predecessor Tran Duc Luong and leave his own hallmarks of liberal deeds. During his two straight terms from 1997 to 2006, Luong placed special attention to major social issues like agriculture and rural development, poverty reduction, national unity, healthcare service provision, and minimization of death sentences.

Triet said he would center on judicial and administrative reform, and diplomacy. "All stages, from investigation, prosecution to trial and prevention, of our judicial system still have limitations," he told local reporters on Tuesday.

To deal with cumbersome and overlapping administrative agencies, Vietnam should empower authorities at different levels to deal with socioeconomic issues, highlight individual responsibility of state cadres and employees, and harmonize decision-making with decision enforcement, he said.

The focal task of Vietnam's diplomacy in the coming time is to "maintain peaceful environment, create favorable international conditions, and protect national independence and sovereignty, helping successfully realize the cause of national industrialization and modernization," he said.

Unlike Dung and Triet, Trong, is known as a relatively cautious official specializing in theory affairs for years. Some local lawmakers said Trong is a virtuous man, but his professional knowledge and lack of law-making experience may make him difficult to adapt himself to the post of top legislator.

Trong, who currently holds a doctorate degree on party construction, studied at the Literature-Linguistics Faculty of the Hanoi General University (now the Hanoi National University), spent years working at the Communist Magazine, and acted as secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee until holding the current post. In his acceptance speech on Monday, he acknowledged that "I find myself having many limitations, both in knowledge and experience."

However, he exhibited strong determination in enriching his knowledge and joining hands with other lawmakers to "improve operation of the National Assembly, in law-making, supreme supervision and making decision on our country's important issues. "

As the top legislator, he will, in the coming time, play a role in passing new laws, especially those important to Vietnam's accession to the WTO, hopefully in late 2006, and enforcement of commitments the country signs with foreign partners.

On Monday, the legislature approved resignations of outgoing one-term NA chairman Nguyen Van An, 69, outgoing second-term Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, 73, and outgoing second-term State President Tran Duc Luong, 69. Their term did not expire until mid- 2007, but they decided to resign to make way for a generation of younger and more effervescent leaders, following the policy of rejuvenation of the leadership.

Moreover, the change of leadership is to serve the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the biggest-ever political and economic event in the country, slated for November in Hanoi with the expected participation of 20 leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, including US President George Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)