Vietnam began a two-day state funeral for late communist party leader Nguyen Phu Trong on July 25, with China, the United States, and the European Union among those sending high-level delegations to mourn his passing.
Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, died on July 19 aged 80 after a period of illness, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
He became general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling CPV in 2011 and served as the country’s president from 2018 to 2021.
“Respectfully bowing before our heroic comrades, we vow to study, follow the example wholeheartedly and with all our might to serve the Fatherland and serve the people,” Vietnamese President To Lam wrote in the condolence book.
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Heads of state, leaders of political parties, and international organizations sent their condolences on Trong’s passing.
China's top political advisor Wang Huning will attend the funeral as special representative of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Attending the funeral are Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith, Cambodian former prime minister Hun Sen, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soon, and former Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga.
During the mourning period on July 25-26, national flags will be flown at half-mast at state offices and public places, while recreational and entertainment activities will be suspended.
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The government’s website was turned to grayscale after the announcement of Trong's death.
On social media platforms, Vietnamese people also posted comments to express their condolences, with many of them voluntarily changing their profile pictures to black and white.
“I think (Trong) has been the most important leader in Vietnam post-1986 and his legacies are significant,” said Le Hong Hiep, a senior fellow at the Vietnam Studies Programme and the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Noting Trong is a man of great integrity, Hiep said his biggest legacy is his leading role in the party’s fight against corruption in recent years.
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Since 2016, over 139,000 party members have been disciplined, with eight Politburo members — including former presidents Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vo Van Thuong — removed from their positions.
Hiep noted, for comparison, that no Politburo members were ousted for corruption between 1986 and 2016.
During Trong’s tenure, Vietnam’s transparency index rating increased substantially from 31 out of 100 to 41 out of 100, said Vu Khang, a doctoral candidate in the Political Science Department at Boston College in the United States, citing data from watchdog Transparency International’s corruption index.
He said officials handled public affairs with far more caution under Trong as they knew Trong's anti-corruption campaign did not have any limits.
Khang added that the anti-corruption campaign earned the CPV much public trust and will continue after Trong’s death.
While Trong was not directly involved in managing economic affairs, Hiep of the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, said his vision for a socialist-oriented market economy helped promote Vietnam’s economic development.
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He also noted that Trong used “bamboo diplomacy” to maintain good and balanced ties with all major powers.
Hiep noted that the presence of international leaders at Trong’s funeral showed their recognition of his contributions to Vietnam’s relationship with their countries.
According to Hiep, Trong’s passing will not affect Vietnam’s relationship with China and he expects the new leadership to continue to promote bilateral ties in the interests of both sides.
“The consensus in Vietnam is that China is an important partner so it is of paramount importance for Vietnam to maintain a stable and peaceful relationship with China for its own security and economic wellbeing,” said Hiep.
The day before Trong’s passing, To Lam took over the duties of Trong due to his health.
The state funeral will be open to the public on July 25 and July 26.
A memorial service will take place on July 26 before Trong is buried at Hanoi’s Mai Dich Cemetery, the final resting place for senior leaders in Vietnam.
