Vietnam’s head of state leaves under a cloud

The Communist Party of Vietnam is among the most secretive bodies on Earth. The façade it presents to its own people and to the world is one of circumspection, conformity and consensual order. So to lose one head of state early last year, departing under a cloud of corruption, was careless. To lose a second, Vo Van Thuong, in late March is downright disconcerting. It is not just ordinary Vietnamese who should care. So, too, should foreign investors, who have bet big on Vietnam as the hottest economy in South-East Asia.