Communists in Vietnam Name Linh as Chief

HANOI, Vietnam —  The Communist Party today named Nguyen Van Linh, a 73-year-old economic reformer, as Vietnam’s leader and moved other proponents of change into top positions.

They replace aging revolutionaries who helped found the party in 1930 and unified the country in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. The outgoing leaders have been criticized in the last few months for failing to revive Vietnam’s economy.

The Sixth Party Congress also chose a new 13-member Politburo, the day-to-day ruling body. Voice of Vietnam radio said six members were dropped from the Politburo, including Defense Minister Van Tien Dung.

The broadcast also said the Congress named 124 full members and 49 alternate members to the policy-making Central Committee.

The changes announced during the four-day Congress only apply to party posts. Changes in the government are expected to be announced at a later date.

On Wednesday, the country’s top three leaders resigned. They are party Secretary Gen. Truong Chinh, Premier Pham Van Dong and key Politburo member Le Duc Tho.

Linh, the new party secretary general, was a key party figure in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and gained national prominence after the Communist victory in 1975 as party chief in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.

He turned around the city’s economy by pushing through reforms that gave greater autonomy to factory managers.

He was dropped from the Politburo in 1982, possibly for what hard-liners considered as his soft position on transforming the southern Vietnamese economy into a Communist model.

He has made a dramatic comeback since 1985 as the central leadership has come under growing pressure to reform an economy plagued by constant shortages, rampant inflation and inadequate distribution of goods.