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Vietnam’s long-serving leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, has passed away “after a period of illness,” marking the end of a significant political era.
His death, came shortly after the government revealed he was stepping back to focus on his health and had transferred his duties to President To Lam on Friday.
Nguyen Phu Trong, served as the general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party since 2011, and at one point also held the presidency.
He was one of the country’s most influential leaders in decades. He was 80 years old.
During his tenure, Trong oversaw remarkable economic growth in Vietnam. He was also known for his “blazing furnaces” anti-corruption campaign, which sought to root out corruption within the government and party ranks.
Trong’s passing occurs amidst a period of political turbulence for Vietnam’s Communist leadership.
In recent months, three top leaders resigned following unspecified accusations of wrongdoing.
According to the official statement, Trong died “due to old age and serious illness,” a day after the government surprisingly announced he needed time for “active treatment” for an unspecified condition.
On that same day, Trong was awarded the Gold Star, Vietnam’s highest honor, for his contributions to the party and country.
Trong fostered relations with global leaders, including U.S. Presidents and China’s Xi Jinping, reflecting his willingness to engage internationally while steadfastly maintaining socialist ideals.
“He was a career lifelong ideologue… he was a true believer, and I think that’s why in some ways relations between Vietnam and China have grown so close,” noted Zachary M. Abuza, a professor and Southeast Asia expert at the National War College in Washington, DC. Giang Nguyen, a visiting senior fellow with the Institute of Southeast
Asian Studies in Singapore, added, “He always believed in making the party clean and relevant so that the party could live with the country for another 1,000 years.”
