A state funeral is scheduled to be held for former Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on two days, during which his body will be laid out at the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City.

The formal ceremony has been announced by the Central Party Committee, National Assembly, state president, central government, and Fatherland Front.

It is scheduled to be held on March 20 and 21, during which the body of former PM Khai will be kept at the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City.

Local residents are able to attend the funeral from 8:00 am on March 20 until the end of March 21.

A similar ceremony will also be organized at the International Convention Center in Hanoi during the period.

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 at PM Khai’s hometown cemetery in Tan Thong Hoi Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City at 11:00 am on the same day.

Flags will fly at half-mast, and entertainment activities will be halted across the country during the two-day state funeral.

A 33-member funeral committee will be established and led by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

Khai passed away due to sickness at his home in Cu Chi District at 1:30 am on March 17.

He was born on December 25, 1933 and was the country’s head of government for two consecutive tenures, from 1997 to 2002 and from 2002 to 2007.

However, he asked the National Assembly for approval to resign from his post in 2006.

He was previously the deputy prime minister during 1992-97 and chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee from 1985 to 1989.

The Party and state presented PM Khai with the Golden Star Order and the 55-year Party Membership Badge in 2014, in recognition of his dedications to the country's revolutionary cause.

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