Public pays respects to Party chief at National Funeral Hall in Hanoi

Large crowds have been queueing up to pay their respects to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi.

Starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, the funeral organizing committee arranged for the public to pay their respects to the Party chief at the National Funeral Hall, No. 5 Tran Thanh Tong street.

People queued up for over a kilometer on Lo Duc street, near the National Funeral Hall, to pay their respects to the Party leader.

Trong passed away at 1:38 p.m. last Friday at the age of 80 after a “period of illness”.

People lined up along many streets leading to the National Funeral Home.

A woman cries at the mourning ceremony.

Ceremonies for the late Party General Secretary are being held simultaneously at the Reunification Hall in Ho Chi Minh City and in his hometown in Dong Hoi commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi.

During two days of national mourning, national flags will be flown at half-mast at State offices and public places, and recreational and entertainment activities will be suspended.

Throughout his 60 years of work, Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong made great and exceptionally outstanding contributions to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

He is also remembered for his aggressive stance against corruption among Party cadres and in the private sector, a campaign popularly known as "the burning furnace".

The burial ceremony is to take place at 3 p.m. on Friday at Mai Dich Cemetery, Hanoi.

Photos courtesy of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Vietnam News Agency.