Vietnam Communist Party chief’s funeral draws thousands of mourners, including world leaders

Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Thousands of mourners gathered in Hanoi for the second day of the funeral of the man who dominated Vietnamese politics for over a decade, Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The party said he died in Hanoi last week due to “old age and serious illness.” Politicians from across the world and Vietnamese people from different provinces paid their tributes to the 80-year-old who had dominated the nation’s politics for over a decade. His death marks the start of a struggle within the party for political supremacy that is likely to continue until the all-important Party Congress of Vietnam’s Communist Party in 2026.