Vietnam's legislature on Thursday appointed Vice-President Vo Thi Anh Xuan as acting head of state, after President Vo Van Thuong became the latest top official to fall amid an intensified corruption crackdown by the ruling Communist Party, Paralel.Az reports quoting Reuters.

Thuong, 53, was removed from the powerful Politburo for unspecified violations of party rules, becoming the second president to exit in just over a year in Vietnam, where leadership changes have recently all been linked to a wide-ranging "blazing furnace" anti-bribery campaign.

Xuan, one of only a few women in senior positions in Vietnamese politics, steps in as president for the second time in just over a year.

"The Politburo has assigned Vo Thi Anh Xuan as acting president... until the National Assembly elects a new president, in accordance with Vietnam's constitution," reported online newspaper VnExpress. The government also confirmed her appointment.