Among the mourners were Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, other incumbent and former Party and State leaders, and representatives of ministries and organizations. 

“During his revolutionary career which spanned more than 70 years, Mr. Le Kha Phieu contributed significantly to Vietnam’s revolution. He was awarded the Gold Star Order, the 70-year Party Membership Medal, and other distinctions. His death is a great loss for the Party, State, and people,”  Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said at the ceremony.  

Vietnamese leaders pay last respects for former Party General Secretary  Le Kha Phieu.

A memorial service for Mr. Phieu will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the National Funeral House and the burial service will be at 2 p.m the same day at Mai Dich cemetery in Hanoi.

Vietnam Television and The Voice of Vietnam will broadcast these ceremonies live. 

Respect-paying services for Mr. Phieu are also held in HCM city and the central province of Thanh Hoa, Mr Phieu’ hometown, and Vietnamese embassies in China, Egypt, and Japan. 

The funeral organizing board includes 35 members headed by Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong.  

All State offices and public facilities fly the national flag at half-mast and all entertainment activities are suspended during the national mourning on Friday and Saturday.

Mr. Le Kha Phieu passed away last Friday in Hanoi at the age of 89 after a long illness. 

He was born on December 27, 1931, in Dong Khe commune, Dong Son district, Thanh Hoa province. 

Mr. Phieu became a Party member in 1949 and served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam's Central Committee from December, 1997, to April, 2001.