The services started at 12:30 at the National Funeral Hall at No. 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi. Le Kha Phieu was born on December 27, 1931 in Dong Khe commune, Dong Son district, the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, and resided at 7/36/C1 Ly Nam De, Cua Dong ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi. He started participating in revolutionary activities in 1947, and joined the Communist Party of Vietnam on June 19, 1949. He was member of the Party Central Committee of the 7th and 8th tenures, member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat of the 7th tenure, Politburo member of the 7th and 8th tenures, General Secretary of the Party Central Committee from December 1997 to April 2001; and Deputy to the National Assembly of the 9th and 10th tenures. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
After a period of illness, despite the wholehearted care by the Party, State, medical group and his family, Le Kha Phieu passed away at his home at 2:52 on August 7, 2020, of serious illness and old age. During the two-day national mourning on August 14-15, national flags were flown at half-mast at public offices and places, and recreational and entertainment activities suspended. From August 14-15, nearly 950 delegations with around 11,000 people paid homage to the former Party General Secretary at the National Funeral Hall, the Thong Nhat Hall in Ho Chi Minh City, and the 25B Hall on Quang Trung street, Thanh Hoa city, Thanh Hoa province. Representatives of nearly 30 diplomatic missions and international organisations, along with Party and State delegations of Laos and Cambodia, also came to pay their respect to the late leader. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The memorial services saw the attendance of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong, and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man. Former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former Presidents Tran Duc Luong and Truong Tan Sang, and former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, among others, were also present at the ceremony. In his speech at the Hanoi ceremony, PM Phuc said comrade Le Kha Phieu was an eminent and prestigious leader of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, and a loyal Party member who had devoted his whole life to national independence and reunification, and socialism, for the happiness of people and international missions. (Photo: VNA) 
Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. The burial service will be held at 14:00 the same day at the Mai Dich Cemetery. In the more than 70 years of his revolutionary activities, comrade Le Kha Phieu made great contributions to the glorious revolution cause of the Party and the nation. He was honoured with the Golden Star Order, an insignia of 70-year Party membership, and many other noble Vietnamese and international orders and medals. His passing away is a great loss to the Vietnamese Party, State and people. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Top leaders of China, Laos, Cambodia and Cuba have extended their profound condolences to Vietnamese Party and State leaders, people and family of comrade Le Kha Phieu. In a message to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on August 8, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping said comrade Phieu was an eminent leader of the Vietnamese Party and State who led the Vietnamese people to great victories in the process of socialism building and renewal. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, President, Government, National Assembly of Laos, and the Central Committee of the Lao Front for National Construction also conveyed condolences to the CPV Central Committee, President, Government, National Assembly, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and family of comrade Le Kha Phieu. They stressed the late leader made great contributions to the national liberation cause of Laos and stood side by side with the Lao people’s army in important campaigns to gain the final victory in 1975. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The same day, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni; President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen; President of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin; and President of the Senate Samdech Say Chhum also sent condolences to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, other senior leaders of Vietnam and the family of former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu. The Cambodian leaders said comrade Le Kha Phieu’s passing is a great loss of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, adding that Cambodia has lost a good and long-time friend who contributed to enhancing solidarity, close cooperation and friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Upon hearing of comrade Le Kha Phieu’s passing, former Lao Party General Secretary and State President Chummaly Sayasonea expressed his deepest condolences to the Vietnamese Party, State, and people, and the family of the deceased. He described Phieu as a loyal revolutionary and an intelligent official. In any position he held, Phieu completed his tasks in an outstanding manner. Comrade Phieu was knowledgeable about the Lao revolution and wholeheartedly supported the revolutionary path and development of Vietnam’s neighbour. When holding high-ranking positions in the army, he paid attention to meetings and exchanges with senior Lao officials, including Chummaly Sayasone himself who was Defence Minister at that time. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Former Lao Party General Secretary and State President Chummaly Sayasonea commended comrade Le Kha Phieu’s contributions to personnel training and other issues regarding national defence and security in Laos. He said as the Party General Secretary, Phieu shared Vietnam’s experience in national defence and security with Laos, which helped tighten the special relationship. During the phone talks with Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith also offered condolences to the Vietnamese Party, State and people on the death of former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raúl Castro and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez also extended condolences to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong over the passing of comrade Le Kha Phieu. The Cuban leaders said they will forever remember meaningful contributions by the late Vietnamese leader to strengthening and developing the historic relationship between the two nations. Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the People's Action Party of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong sent condolences to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, in which he highly valued the important role played by the former Vietnamese Party leader in promoting the Singapore-Vietnam bilateral cooperation. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Colonel Vu Trong Hoan, a former lecturer at the Military History Institute of Vietnam, wrote an article highlighting comrade Le Kha Phieu’s contributions to Cambodia’s revolution. The article noted that in early 1979, in response to the call for help from the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers coordinated with the revolutionary armed forces and people of Cambodia in launching a general offensive against the Pol Pot regime to liberate Cambodia from the scourge of genocide and restore power to the people. In this campaign, comrade Phieu was a member of the Frontline High Command of Military Region 9 and directly commanded the military region’s armed forces and some units from the Cambodian side to fight in the main battlefield in order to liberate southeastern and southern provinces in the country, thus greatly contributing to the victory of the general offensive. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
In its message of condolences sent to the CPV Central Committee, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) said the late leader was a veteran revolutionary and an eminent political activist who dedicated his whole life to the cause of national development and reunification as well as the socialism building cause of Vietnam. In a message sent to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, President Moon Jae-in, on behalf of the Republic of Korea’s government and people, said the former Party General Secretary made important contributions to the development of Vietnam as well as the RoK – Vietnam relationship. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Shah Alam and CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim sent condolences to the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee. The Movement of Popular Participation of Uruguay also sent condolences to the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee. A high-ranking delegation of Cambodia led by President of the National Assembly of Cambodia Samdech Heng Samrin paid their last respect to Le Kha Phieu in Hanoi on August 15. In photo: Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu’s coffin was moved out of the National Funeral Hall to the Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
The Central Committee of the Marxist Communist Party of India; Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela Jesús Faria; First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Youth of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela Rander Pena; Communications Secretary of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front of El Salvador Sigfrido Reyes; Vice President and International Relations Secretary of the Communist Party of Brazil Walter Sorrentino; Secretary General of the Dominican Republic’s United Left Movement Miguel Mejia; Secretary General of the Communist Party of Uruguay Juan Castillo; First Secretary of the Communist Party of Bolivia Ignacio Mendoza; and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Argentina also sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee. In photo: members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union line up at the gate of the National Funeral Hall, holding photos of comrade Le Kha Phieu. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha cabled condolences to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, while Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai did the same to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. President of the South West Africa People's Organisation and President of Namibia Hage Gottfried Geingob, and Secretary General of the Polisario Front and President of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Brahim Ghali sent condolences to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong. General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Doraisamy Raja, Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party Bassam al-Salhi, President of the Party of the Independence Congress of Madagascar Rajaobelison Andriantsoa, and Deputy General Secretary of the Party Rakotomahefa Mihantra sent messages to the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee. In photo: People line up along a street to pay respect to former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
In a message to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Chairman of the Presidium of the Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Kazuo Shii highly valued comrade Le Kha Phieu’s dedication to the national independence and development, as well as the ties between the two Parties and friendship between the two peoples. President of the Labour Party of Mexico Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Mexico, and the Central Committee of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front of El Salvador also conveyed condolences to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
General Secretary of the Marxist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Nayef Hawatmeh and head of the External Relations Committee of the Moroccan Party of Justice and Development El Orani Slimane sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee. Chairman of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party Mamdouh Habashi expressed condolences to the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations. On August 14, ambassadors and representatives from international organisations paid tribute to the late leader in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In photo: People line up along the street to pay respect to former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has sent a dispatch to heads of ministries, sectors as well as central agencies, organisations, provinces and centrally-run cities on the suspension of entertainment activities during the two-day national mourning for former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu on August 14-15. State agencies across the country as well as representative offices of Vietnam abroad are asked to fly national flags at haft-mast in the two days. The funeral board for comrade Le Kha Phieu comprises 33 members, including Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, head of the board; Politburo member and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc; and Politburo member and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; and other Politburo members and Party Central Committee members. (Photo: VietnamPlus) VNA
