A state funeral began on Thursday for Vietnam's top leader Nguyen Phu Trong. Mourners paying their respects include representatives of the Communist Party and the government, as well as foreign dignitaries.

The Communist Party General Secretary passed away last Friday at the age of 80.
The two-day ceremony is being held at the National Funeral Hall in the capital Hanoi.
Presiding over the event were President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide took part as a special envoy of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Trong assumed the top position in 2011 after chairing parliament.
He was elected the Communist Party's General Secretary for a third term at the party congress in 2021. This came despite the limit of two consecutive terms or 10 years, as stipulated by the party constitution.

His successor has not yet been made public, but the Party announced the day before he died that President To Lam would assume his duties in the meantime.