Death of a revolutionary

Former Vietnamese President Pham Van Dong and President Fidel Castro of Cuba in 1979

By East Asia reporter Clare Arthurs

Only a few days after celebrations marking the end of the Vietnam War, the sombre tones of funeral music are being played in the streets to mourn the death of former prime minister and elder statesman, Pham Van Dong.

A fervent nationalist, he was described as the favourite disciple of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and had fought in the jungle and at the conference table to achieve a united, socialist Vietnam.

His life spanned some 94 years from his birth into a family of Confucian traditions, to its end, blind and bed-ridden on Saturday, a day before the anniversary of the reunification victory which came with the defeat of the American-backed South Vietnamese 25 years ago.

Prominent modern figure

Pham Van Dong was prime minister for three decades until 1987. He earned his revolutionary credentials when he was jailed for leading a student protest during French colonial rule and later joined with Ho Chi Minh in China.

In 1954 he was the communist negotiator at the Geneva Conference which marked the withdrawal of the French and the division of Vietnam. He was an uncompromising campaigner for reunification even while American bombs rained on Vietnam.

Admitted mistakes

He was seen more as an administrator than a savvy politician and admitted himself that mistakes were made when post-war socialism left the country bankrupt.

As an elder statesman, in trademark Chairman Mao-style suit and dark glasses, he continued to write and dispense advice to the current leadership.

Like others he was critical of the corruption he saw tearing at the Communist Party but stood out with his willingness for Vietnam to embrace the lessons of other countries, including capitalist ones. Many Vietnamese will be saddened that he didn't live to the see the celebrations on Sunday.