Vietnam to Hold General Secretary Chong's Funeral on 25-26 with "National Mourning Period Declared"

The funeral of Nguyen Phu Trong, the top leader of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who passed away at the age of 80 on the 19th, will be held over two days from the 25th to the 26th.

According to local media VN Express and AFP on the 21st (local time), the Communist Party of Vietnam and the government announced in a statement that the funeral period will be declared a national mourning period.

In the statement, they said, "General Secretary Trong worked for nearly 60 years and made great and particularly outstanding contributions to the Communist Party and Vietnam's glorious revolutionary cause," adding, "His passing is a huge loss to the Party, the country, the people, and his family."

The body of General Secretary Trong will receive mourners at the National Funeral Hall in Hanoi until the morning of the 26th, and will be interred that afternoon at Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi, where former Vietnamese leaders are buried. During this period, Vietnamese government offices will fly flags at half-mast and will not hold sports, entertainment, or recreational events.

Putin shaking hands with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam
(Hanoi EPA·Sputnik=Yonhap News) Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (left), on a state visit to Vietnam, shakes hands with Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Hanoi on the 20th (local time). General Secretary Trong is the top-ranking official in Vietnam. 2024.06.21
passion@yna.co.kr
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With most sports and entertainment events already postponed, major companies and institutions changed their official account profile pictures to black and white on social media platforms such as Facebook to express their condolences.

AFP reported that general social media users also posted photos and messages mourning General Secretary Trong.

General Secretary Trong assumed office in 2011 and was re-elected for a third term in 2021 following his 2016 re-election, remaining in power for 14 years. He governed Vietnam as the longest-serving General Secretary since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. AFP noted that he is the first General Secretary to die in office since Le Duan (1907?1986), the first General Secretary of unified Vietnam.

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