Do Muoi, a leader who played key roles in Vietnam’s revolutionary fights and opening-up era, died on October 01, 2018.
The former Party General Secretary passed away at the 108 Military Hospital in Hanoi, after battling a sickness for a long time, receiving care from doctors in and outside Vietnam, said the National Commission of Health Services for Officials. VNExpress, a local media reported.
Do Muoi is a native of Dong My Commune, Thanh Tri District in Hanoi, and a member of Vietnam’s Communist Party for 78 years. He became active with revolutionary activities at early age and joined the French Popular Front at 19. In 1939, he joined the Communist Party of Indochina, marking his first step into the political scene.
The former Party Secretary went through national revolutionaries and played a key role in the country’s development. In 1941, at age 24, he was arrested by the French colonialists and sentenced to 10 years in prison at the famous Hanoi prison Hoa Lo. He broke out of jail four years later and continued being active with revolutionary campaigns. He joined the Party unit of Ha Dong, now a district of Hanoi, led its grand coup against the colonial government and became its Party leader from August 1945.
During the war against colonial French, Do Muoi took different positions across the northern region. He was the Party Secretary of Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces, and Party leaders of multiple revolutionary units in the area.
In 1955, he was the Party leader and chairman of the port city of Hai Phong. That March, he was elected to be an alternate member of the second Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. A year later, he took the position of the Deputy Minister of Trade and became Minister in 1958. He also became a delegate of Vietnam’s legislative National Assembly.
In September 1960, he was elected to be a member of the Party’s Central Committee at the National Congress. From 1969 to 1971, he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Economic Office of the Prime Minister. He continued to serve as Deputy Prime Minister from 1976 to 1981.
In 1979, he was elected to be an alternate member of the Politburo, the Party’s decision-making body, and in 1986, became its official member.
Do Muoi became the Party General Secretary of Vietnam in 1991 and held his position until 1997. In December 1997, he became an advisor for the Party’s Central Committee, and continued his role until 2001.