Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai was buried next to his wife's grave.
On the afternoon of March 21, preparations for the funeral of the former Prime Minister in his hometown of Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City, were urgently completed.
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| Before the funeral of former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in Tan Thong Hoi commune (Cu Chi district), dozens of workers, youth volunteers and local militia were busy preparing the grave as well as the area to receive his coffin. The burial place, according to former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's wishes, is located in the grounds of his private house, with many orchids. "We started decorating at noon and are expected to finish this evening," said a worker. |
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| The former Prime Minister will be laid to rest next to the grave of his late wife, Mrs. Sau. The area is covered with orchids - her favorite flower. Relatives said that when Mrs. Sau passed away (in 2012), the former Prime Minister's grave was also completely built, preparing for the day when they would lie next to each other. |
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| Around the cemetery is the shade and fragrance of many flowers and fruit trees. |
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| According to the elders in the commune, the mark that former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai left on the locality is most clearly at Tan Thong communal house - which he restored to its present state. The communal house is located only 200 meters from Mr. Sau Khai's house, standing out with its classic yellow paint and intricately carved wooden reliefs. |
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (76 years old), who has been taking care of the communal house for 43 years, said that the communal house is preserving hundreds of commemorative photos of the former Prime Minister and members of the communal house. "Mr. Sau Khai is a very simple person, loves people, and never shows off in front of anyone. In our eyes, he is a wonderful person," Mr. Hung shared. |
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| Photo taken in 2000, when Mr. Sau Khai was Prime Minister, visiting the communal house. "At that time, this place was still small and very degraded. In 2006, when he retired, he lived in the house next to the communal house and personally presided over the restoration of this 248-year-old communal house," Mr. Hung said, adding that the process of repairing the communal house lasted from mid-2009 to July 2010. |
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| Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai led former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu to visit the restored communal house. |
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| "This is Mr. Sau Khai's daily seat. When he was still healthy, he would come here every day from 7am to 11am, smoke, drink coffee and chat with the elders in the temple about all sorts of things. He talked very happily, never praising or criticizing, so everyone loved him," Mr. Hung said. |
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| The oil trees that former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai brought back from Tay Ninh to plant are now over 20 years old, spreading shade throughout the village communal house. At 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, March 22, the memorial service for former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai will be held at Thong Nhat Hall, following the national funeral protocol. His coffin will then be brought back to his home for burial. Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai passed away at 1:30 a.m. on March 17 in his hometown. Many economic experts consider him a leader with a strong reform spirit and determination to integrate. He was also the one who presented the draft of the Vietnam - US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) officially signed in 2001; and was the first Vietnamese leader to visit the US and meet President Bush in 2005, opening up new prospects for cooperation between Vietnam and the US. |
