The national flag was flown half-mast at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi at 6am on July 25, marking the start of the national mourning for Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong which will last from July 25-26.

Crowds of people gathered at the site to witness the ceremony, many broke out into tears.

During the mourning, flags will be hoisted half-mast at the public offices throughout the county and at the Vietnamese representative offices abroad, and all public entertainment and recreation activities halted.

The respect-paying ceremony for the deceased started at the National Mourning Hall in Hanoi from 7am of July 25, the memorial service will be from 1pm of July 26 at the same place, and the burial service will start on July 26, at 3mp, at Hanoi’s Mai Dich Cemetery.