HÀ NỘI — The respect-paying ceremony for former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Lê Khả Phiêu, who passed away on August 7 at the age of 89, started on Friday morning at the National Funeral Hall, No. 5 Trần Thánh Tông Street, Hà Nội. 

Party General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng sent a wreath to pay tribute to the late leader.
Representatives from the Party, State, National Assembly, Government and Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) went to the National Funeral Hall to pay their last respects to former Party chief Lê Khả Phiêu.
The delegation from the Party Central Committee was led by Politburo member and Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc who also headed the delegation from the Government.
The National Assembly delegation was led by NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, while the presidential delegation was led by Party Central Committee member and Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh.
VFF representatives were led by Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the VFF Central Committee Trần Thanh Mẫn.
Former Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh; former Presidents Trần Đức Lương, Nguyễn Minh Triết and Trương Tấn Sang; former Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng; and former NA Chairman Nguyễn Văn An; and other former Party and State leaders also bade farewell to former Party chief Lê Khả Phiêu.
Former NA Chairman Nguyễn Sinh Hùng also sent flowers to pay tribute to the late leader.
Meanwhile at Thống Nhất (Reunification) Hall in HCM City, representatives from the Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and VFF Committee of HCM City as well as former Party, State and VFF leaders in the city led by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyễn Thiện Nhân paid last respects to the former leader.
In Phiêu's hometown of Thanh Hoá, the respect-paying ceremony was attended by a delegation from the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministry led by General Lương Cường, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, member of the Central Military Commission’s Standing Board and Director of the Việt Nam People’s Army General Department of Politics.
Comrade Lê Khả Phiêu was born on December 27, 1931 in Đông Khê Commune, Đông Sơn District, the north-central province of Thanh Hoá, and resided at 7/36/C1 Lý Nam Đế, Cửa Đông Ward, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội.
He began participating in revolutionary activities in 1947 and joined the Communist Party of Việt Nam on June 19, 1949. He was a member of the Party Central Committee of the 7th and 8th tenures, member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat of the 7th tenure, Politburo member of the 7th and 8th tenures, General Secretary of the Party Central Committee from December 1997 to April 2001; and deputy to the National Assembly of the 9th and 10th tenures.

After a period of illness, despite the wholehearted care of the Party, State, medical workers and his family, he passed away on August 7 of serious illness and old age at his home.

Over more than 70 years, comrade Lê Khả Phiêu made great contributions to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. He was awarded the Golden Star, an insignia of 70-year Party membership, and many other noble Vietnamese and international orders and medals.

Overseas tributes

Vietnamese embassies held ceremonies on Thursday and Friday for people to pay their respects to the former General Secretary of the Party Central Committee.
Yang Jiechi, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, laid a wreath in tribute to the late leader at a ceremony hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in China yesterday.
China’s Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Chairman of the Standing Board of the National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu, and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Yang also sent flowers to pay homage to the late Party chief.
Yang Jiechi expressed his deep sympathy over Phiêu’s passing and said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), Vietnamese people will turn this grief into strength to gain greater achievements in socialism building.
The Chinese Party, Government, and people attach great importance to the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with Việt Nam and stand ready to work together with their Vietnamese counterparts to promote the traditional friendship and the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership between the two countries, he said.
On the same day, representatives from Chinese ministries and agencies along with ambassadors of foreign countries in China visited the Vietnamese Embassy to pay their respects to the late leader.
The condolence book at the embassy will remain open until Saturday.
A similar ceremony took place at the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos on Friday, which saw the attendance of Lao Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Vorachith, Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou and Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonesay Siphandone, among others.

Writing in the condolence book, Bounnhang Vorachith said the passing of the former Party chief is a great loss to the Vietnamese Party, Government, and people.

The Party, State, and people of Laos have also lost a comrade and close friend, he said, stressing Phieu’s significant contributions to the great friendship between Việt Nam and Laos.

At another ceremony in Cambodia, Vietnamese Ambassador Vũ Quang Minh praised Phiêu's contributions to the fight against the genocidal regime in Cambodia.

Vice President of the Senate Sim Ka, head of the Inspection Commission of the Cambodian People’s Party Ek Sam Ol, Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Eat Sophea, and Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly’s foreign affairs committee Chheang Vun led delegations to the ceremony.

Services were also held by Vietnamese embassies in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Egypt. — VNS