11-1-2024 (HANOI) The leader of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, is expected to be absent from the second state visit of a foreign leader to Hanoi in less than a week, sparking concerns about his health.
Nguyen Phu Trong, aged 79, has been at the helm of the party since 2011, holding the most influential position in Vietnam’s one-party political system. Traditionally, he regularly holds private meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries.
However, according to draft agendas from both Vietnam’s foreign ministry and Indonesia’s presidential office, Trong is not slated to meet with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo during the state visit on Friday. This follows a pattern as he was also absent from the list of Vietnamese leaders who received Laos’ Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone last weekend.
Notably, Trong has not made any public appearances since December 26 when he met with the head of the Japanese Communist Party, Kazuo Shii, in Hanoi.