HO CHI MINH CITY -- Nguyen Phu Trong, the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) chief who ushered in an era of strong ties with the U.S., kept rival China happy, and mounted a historic crackdown on corruption in the fast-growing economy, died Friday due to "old age and serious illness," the government said on its website. He was 80.
Obituaries
Vietnam Communist party boss dies at 80; succession in balance
Trong kept lid on graft, navigated U.S.-China rivalry as country grew
Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at a news conference in Hanoi in 2021. © Reuters
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