New Delhi, Jan. 20 -- Vietnam's most important political conclave began Monday, as the ruling Communist Party convened to decide the country's leadership and broad policy course for the next five years.

A total of 1,586 delegates from across Vietnam gathered in the capital, Hanoi, for the National Congress, the party's highest decision-making body, which meets every five years to elect its top leadership and set priorities shaping the country's political and economic direction.

Delegates will elect about 200 members to the party's Central Committee, which in turn appoints 17 to 19 members to the powerful Politburo in a tightly choreographed process.

Beyond settling the question of who will lead Vietnam through 2031, the Congress will a...