Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Nguyen Phu Trong as a “true friend” of Russia.
The general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong – considered the country’s main leader – died on Friday at the age of 80, his party said.
In a statement, he said that Trong, who had led the party since 2011, died “due to old age and a serious illness” in a military hospital in Hanoi.
The announcement came a day after the party announced that Trong would hand over the reins of power to the country’s president and former Public Security Minister To Lam, long seen as a contest for the top job.
At the time, the party said Trong would focus on treating an undisclosed medical condition, the first time it referenced long-running speculation about the aging leader’s health.
There were no further details about Trong’s illness on Friday, and the party said it would later make “a special statement on the nationwide funeral arrangements.”
Trong is the first party secretary-general to die in office since the 1986 death of Le Duan, Ho Chi Minh’s brother-in-arms.
He is also the first leader to have served three consecutive terms at the head of the party, after the liberalization of the economy in 1986.
US President Joe Biden called Trong a “champion of deep ties” between the American and Vietnamese people and said both countries were safer because of the bilateral friendship fostered by the late leader.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Trong as a “true friend” of Russia.
China’s communist party sent a condolence message to its Vietnamese counterpart, Chinese state media reported.
Vietnam’s communist regime, which is in the midst of complete reform, has undergone a series of upheavals in recent months, with ministers, business leaders and two presidents falling from grace as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
On Thursday, when it was announced that Trong would hand over his duties, the Politburo called on “the entire party, people and army to have absolute confidence in the party leadership and the management of the state”.
Lam was elected president in May by the Vietnamese parliament after her predecessor was forced to resign as part of the anti-corruption campaign.
Analysts said at the time that Lam, who was deputy head of the steering committee for anti-corruption issues, had weaponized investigations to bring down her political rivals.
– ‘Surprising efficiency’ –
Trong’s poor health has fueled widespread speculation that he would not be able to remain in power until the 2026 party congress, which is expected to name a successor.
He enjoyed remarkable longevity in office, during a tenure that rights groups say coincided with the rise of authoritarianism.
Known for being a technocrat and for having good relations with Beijing, he structured the party around himself, benefiting from a decade of economic growth that reinforced his legitimacy.
“He restructured and reorganized the party around him” through his anti-corruption drive, said Benoit de Treglode, director of research at the Institute for Strategic Research at the French military academy in Paris.
“Since 2011, he has been cleaning with surprising efficiency.”
The anti-corruption campaign, which analysts say is also linked to political infighting, has swept the party, police, armed forces and business community.
More than 3,500 people have been indicted since 2021, official figures show, while those sent to prison include a former health minister and two former mayors of Hanoi.
Following a scandal related to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned and two deputy prime ministers were removed from their posts.
Many other prominent officials working in a wide range of sectors, from the environment and energy to healthcare and banking, are under investigation.
But the campaign had unintended consequences. With many fearful of being caught in its crosshairs, daily transactions in the business sector and the state apparatus have slowed down.
Trong would like to be remembered “as a populist, someone very close to the people, who listens to them,” said Linh Nguyen, chief analyst at Control Risks on Vietnam.
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