HANOI, Jul 20 (NNN-VNA) – Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, died yesterday at the age of 80, according to the board of health protection and care for central officials.
The board said that, after a period of illness, despite “wholehearted treatment and care,” the party leader passed away due to old age and severe illness at 1:38 p.m. local time (0638 GMT), at the 108 Central Military Hospital in Hanoi.
A state funeral will be held for Trong, with details to be announced later, report said.
Vietnamese websites have been switched to black and white as the country mourns Trong’s death. Vietnamese people posted comments online to express their condolences.
On Thursday, the Political Bureau of the CPV Central Committee held a ceremony at the 108 Central Military Hospital, and awarded the Gold Star Order to Trong, saying it was “a recognition of the party, state and people for his great and exceptionally outstanding contributions to the revolutionary cause of the party and the nation.”
The ceremony was attended by all members of the Political Bureau of the CPV Central Committee, the Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee and Trong’s families.
Also on Thursday, it was reported that, due to Trong’s need to focus on receiving health treatment, To Lam, member of the Political Bureau of the CPV Central Committee and Vietnamese president, took charge of supervising the work of the CPV Central Committee, the Political Bureau of the CPV Central Committee, and the Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee.
Trong, born in 1944 in Dong Anh District, Hanoi, was a professor, and held a PhD in politics. He was a member of the 7th to 13th CPV Central Committee, a member of the 8th to 13th CPV Central Committee Political Bureau, general secretary of the 11th to 13th CPV Central Committee, and a deputy to the 11th to 15th National Assembly of Vietnam.
From 1983 to 1996, Trong served as vice director and director of the Party building department of the “Communist Review” magazine, and as a member, deputy editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief of the magazine’s editing board.
From Feb, 1998 to Jan, 2000, Trong was in charge of the ideological, cultural, scientific and educational work of the CPV.
Between Mar, 1998 and Aug, 2006, as deputy chairman and chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Trong was in charge of the CPV’s theoretical work.
He served as chairman of the National Assembly from Jun, 2006 to Jul, 2011.
Since Jan, 2011, Trong served as general secretary of the CPV Central Committee and secretary of the Central Military Commission. He also served as Vietnam’s president from Oct, 2018 to Apr, 2021.– NNN-VNA
