Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong passed away at 1:38 p.m. on July 19 at The Hanoi-based 108 Military Central Hospital due to severe illness, according to the Specialised Council for Protection of Central-level Officials’ Health.

The Party and State held a solemn ceremony at the Hanoi-based Military Central Hospital 108 on July 18 to confer the Gold Star Order on Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The awarding of the Gold Star Order to the Party General Secretary is the recognition of the Party, State and people for his great and especially outstanding contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

The Politburo's call for the entire Party, people, and army's absolute trust in the Party's leadership is truly necessary to continue exciting and promoting the great national solidarity tradition, Dr. Phan Xuan Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), has said.

The Party and State held a solemn ceremony at the Hanoi-based Military Central Hospital 108 on July 18 afternoon to award the Gold Star Order to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 18 chaired a meeting with heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to discuss the promotion of economic diplomacy to boost the country's economic growth in the second half of 2024 and the following years.