Abstract:  The 12th congress of the CPV is an epoch-making meeting in the process of political innovation in Vietnam. With Nguyen
Phuc Trong's power status being consolidated after the congress, the trend of the power transfer from the upper class to the grass roots
has been reversed and the political winds gradually turn left. Three changes has taken place, i.e. the recovery of the preparatory
meeting institution before formal meeting, the start of confidence vote for senior political leaders and the control of the numbers of the
self-nominated candidates. Two reasons could explain the above changes, the one is the internal power competition in the CPV and the
other is the CPV's concerns about peaceful evolution and color revolution. The above changes, on the one hand, have a profound impact
on the domestic political structure in Vietnam, and on the other hand, have an important influence on Sino-Vietnam relations and
China's interests. Therefore, China must pay full attention to the changes and take precautions.

Key words:  12th congress, Vietnam, political innovation, Sino-Vietnam relations, new development