Vietnam's Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong dies at 80, President To Lam in charge

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has died, state media said on Friday, after holding the country’s most powerful position for more than a decade. He was 80.

State media, citing information from Trong’s medical team, said he died early afternoon on Friday “after a period of illness”.

Vietnam’s President To Lam took over Trong’s duties on Thursday when the party announced Trong needed to focus on medical treatment. The announcement came days after the government said that he was stepping back to focus on his health.

The death amid chaos

As the general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party since 2011,  the veteran politician was touted as the country’s most powerful leader in decades. The 80-year-old politician was known for his “blazing furnaces” anti-corruption campaign.

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It is pertinent to note that Trong’s death came at a time of political turbulence for Communist leadership. In the span of a few weeks, three top leaders quit following unspecified accusations of wrongdoing.

The death of the Vietnamese leader came a day after Trong was awarded the Gold Star, the highest honour given in Vietnam, for contributions to the party and country, BBC reported.

Trong was seen as recently as late June when he welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on a state visit. However, after that, he failed to attend several events, including the official launch of a book compiling some of his notable speeches.

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In recent years, there have been several instances where he would disappear from the public eye for long stretches of time. In 2019, it was reported that the Vietnamese leader had a stroke.

Interestingly, in 2018, Vietnam passed a law classifying top officials’ health as a state secret, prompting the highly scrutinised local media to be even more cautious.