 He ascended to the Politburo in 1997 and became Party head of Ho Chi Minh City in 2000.In that position, he oversaw a campaign against organized crime and corruption, including the arrest and execution of underworld kingpin Trương Văn Cam, known as Năm Cam.From January 1988 to September 1989, Nguyễn Minh Triết was appointed as the Provincial Party Committee Member of Sông Bé Provincial Party Committee.