A new central body of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party voted today for National Assembly chairman Nong Duc Manh to replace conservative incumbent Le Kha Phieu as party chief, party sources said today.
The sources, who did not want to be identified, said a new 150-member Central Committee of the secretive ruling party was elected at an internal party congress yesterday and Mr Phieu was not among its ranks.
The new 150-member Central Committee voted for Mr Manh as the new head of the party, one of the sources told reporters.