Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the Ho Chi Minh City’s streets to bid farewell to Former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet on Sunday.
Party Chief Nong Duc Manh delivered the eulogy for Mr. Kiet at the Reunification Palace. The Party Chief called Mr. Kiet "an excellent leader of our party, state and people, a faithful revolutionary fighter who has devoted his whole life for national independence, socialism and people's happiness."
"With his strategic thinking and commitment to reform, Comrade Vo Van Kiet made a major contribution to the Doi Moi (renewal) economic reform process started and led by our party," Mr. Manh said.
A caravan of military vehicles accompanied the former Prime Minister’s flag-draped coffin to the Ho Chi Minh City cemetery.
The funeral, broadcast live on national television, was attended by President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and other top Communist Party and Government leaders.
Everyone Wanted to See Him One Last Time
Early Sunday morning, thousands of people stood on Le Duan, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Alexander De Rhode streets near Unification Palace to bid farewell to the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. Some of them leaned on sticks while others held their kids. All of them looked toward the palace where Mr. Sau Dan, as they called Mr. Kiet, was laid.
Inside the palace people wiped their eyes while paying tribute to Mr. Kiet
“Uncle Kiet is over there. I will raise you to see him…” a woman holding her grand-daughter said. Her words made everybody around make way for her.
Le Thi Kim Anh of Lac Long Quan Street in District 11 told a reporter that her husband carried her and the grand-daughter to the palace by motorcycle early in the morning, but he had to stay with the motorcycle outside the palace.
She talked about her father, a soldier who could not go to the palace to see Mr. Kiet because of a serious disease. She and her husband come on behalf of her father to say farewell to Mr. Kiet.
A student standing on tiptoe tried to raise a camera to take some photos. Nguyen Hoang Minh, a student of enterprise finance at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, said that his friends must work on Sunday so he wanted to take some photos to tell a his story about the funeral to his friends in the afternoon.
“All students respect Uncle Sau Dan and admire his morals and soul,” he said.
Vo Van Hoa, 82, of Tran Van Dang Street in District 3, sat on a sidewalk and look toward the palace. He said he was tired because he was confused as to where mourning for Mr. Kiet was being held.
His story was interrupted by the motorcade carrying Mr. Kiet’s coffin. He hurried to follow the motorcade and tried to take some photos. The photos may be a valuable souvenir and he will hold them until the end of his life.
Many ran or rode motorcycles to follow the motorcade. All of them wanted to say some last words to Mr. Kiet.
Despite the hot sun, tens of thousands of mourners crowded on Ha Noi Highway on the outskirts of the city.
When the motorcade entered the cemetery, mourners rushed in. Everyone wanted to throw a handful of earth on the grave.
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