(VOVWORLD) - The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, the National Assembly, the President, the Government and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee have issued a special communiqué, announcing that former President General Le Duc Anh passed away at 20:10 on April 22 due to serious illness and old age at his home in Hà Nội, and his funeral will be held as a national mourning.
 Former President Le Duc Anh. Photo: VNA |
Mr. Le Duc Anh was born on December 1, 1920, in Loc An commune, Phu Loc District, the central province of Thua Thien Hue. He started participating in revolutionary activities in 1937 and joined the Communist Party of Vietnam in May 1938. He was member of the Party Central Committee of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th tenures; secretary of Party Central Committee of the 7th tenure; and Politburo member of the Party Central Committee of the 5th, 6th, and 7th and 8th tenures. He was President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from September 1992 to December 1997, and adviser of the Party Central Committee from 1997 to April 2001. He was elected to the National Assembly in the 6th, 8th and 9th tenures.
Over more than 80 years of his revolutionary activities, Le Duc Anh made great contributions to the glorious revolution cause of the Party and the nation. He was awarded with the Golden Star, the first-class Military Exploit Order, the first-class Feat of Arms Order, an insignia of 80-year Party membership, and many other noble Vietnamese and international orders and medals.
In memory of General Lê Đức Anh, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front decided to hold the funeral of comrade General Lê Đức Anh with the national mourning etiquette. Party chief and President Nguyen Phu Trong will head the State funeral organizing committee.
Mr. Le Duc Anh will be laid in state at the National Funeral Hall, No 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi. The respect-paying ceremony will be held from 7am-11am on May 3 at the National Funeral Hall. The memorial service will be held at 11am on May 3 at the National Funeral Hall. The burial ceremony will take place at 5pm on the same day at the Ho Chi Minh City Cemetery.
At the same time, the respect-paying and memorial ceremonies for General Lê Đức Anh will also be held at the Unification Hall in Ho Chi Minh City and the hall of the People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue province. The Vietnam Television (VTV) and Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) will broadcast live the ceremonies in Hanoi and HCMC.
During the two-day official mourning and state funeral, governmental offices and public places will fly the national flag at half-mast, and no public entertainment events will be held.