Vietnamese social media mourns death of ‘perfect communist’ Nguyen Phu Trong

“A great heart has stopped,” Hoang Quoc Ky wrote on his Facebook page after changing his cover photo to a picture of Vietnam’s national flag flying at half-mast.

“He was a bright and perfect communist, a sharp politician … who devoted his whole life for socialism and the happiness of the people,” Ky added.

“Trong was a very enthusiastic patriot in his own manner,” blogger DzungArt Nguyen wrote in a Facebook post.

“[We] acknowledge his passion … may he rest in peace.”

At the time, the party said Trong would be focusing on treatment for an undisclosed medical condition, the first time it had addressed long-standing speculation about the ageing leader’s health.

There were no further details about Trong’s illness, and the party said it would later make “a special statement on the organisation of the funeral at the national level”.

Vietnam will hold a state funeral next week for Nguyen Phu Trong, the government said on Saturday.

State media reports said funeral events honouring Trong would be held on July 25 and 26, with flags flown at half staff and all cultural and artistic activities cancelled.

Entertainment and sporting event organisers have already suspended activities.

Trong is the first party general secretary to die in office since the death in 1986 of Le Duan, a brother-in-arms of Ho Chi Minh.

He is also the first leader to have held three consecutive mandates at the head of the party after the liberalisation of the economy in 1986.

Additional reporting by Reuters