Top Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong dies at 80

Top Vietnamese politicianNguyen Phu Trong died on Friday (July 19). In a statement,the ruling Communist Party said that the cause of Trong's death was a serious illness. He was 80 years old at the time of his death.For months Trong had appeared frail at public events or missed them outright and on Thursday his duties as party chief were taken over by President To Lam.

The Communist Party will now decide whetherLam will continue as acting party general secretary until the current term for the post expires after the next Congress in 2026, or whether it will elect a new candidate before then from within its ranks.

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Vietnam's most powerful figure

AlthoughVietnamofficially has no paramount ruler, Trong was the country's most powerful figure as party general secretary and has been in the post since 2011.Trong was educated in the Soviet Union and was regarded as a Marxist-Leninist ideologue.

He also served asthe country's president from 2018 to 2020.

A report by the news agency Reuters said that Trongcultivated an image of moderation, but from 2017 unleashed what many saw as a China-style crackdown on corruption, known as a "blazing furnace" that in the past year has had a chilling effect on the economy.

His crackdown on corruption led toarrests or forced resignations of senior officials. Critics lambasted the clampdown as politically motivated.

Bamboo diplomacy

In foreign policy, Trong advocated having "more friends, fewer foes" while being as flexible as bamboo.

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That stance culminated in a visit by United States President Joe Biden to Hanoi last September that sawVietnamlift the US to its highest diplomatic status alongside China, Russia, India, and South Korea.

(With inputs from agencies)