The formal ceremony began at 8:00 am on Tuesday and will conclude at the end of Wednesday, during which the body of former PM Khai is kept at the Reunification Palace in the southern metropolis.

Many incumbent and former leaders and high-ranking officials of Vietnam arrived early at the location to prepare for the funeral and pay tribute to the late premier.

A 33-member funeral committee is led by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

PM Khai is “an excellent leader of the Vietnamese Party, state, and people, who devoted his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the nation,” General Secretary Trong wrote in a guestbook.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong pays respects to the late leader.

Local residents can pay their respects to the late leader at the Reunification Palace during the two-day state funeral.

Police officers have been tasked with keeping order and security at the venue, while traffic units are in charge of controlling traffic at the entrance as well as nearby streets.

Meanwhile, people in northern Vietnam can also attend the ceremony at the International Convention Center in Hanoi.

State President Tran Dai Quang arrives at the funeral on March 20, 2018.

At 7:30 am on March 22, the celebration of life will be carried out in both cities, which will also be aired on Vietnam Television and Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

The burial ritual will be conducted in PM Khai’s hometown in Tan Thong Hoi Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City at 11:00 am on the same day.

Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan pays tribute to late PM Phan Van Khai.

Vietnamese leaders and members of the Central Party Committee at the state funeral

A delegation led by General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of National Defense, at the formal ceremony

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong writes in a guestbook.

Local residents wait for their turn to visit late Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the Reunification Palace.

People gather at the entrance of the Reunification Palace.

Students from Nguyen Van Tao Elementary School in Nha Be District attend the funeral.

Students from Le Loi Elementary School in Nha Be District attend the funeral.

A traffic police officer controls traffic in front of the Reunification Palace.

A traffic police officer controls traffic in front of the Reunification Palace.

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