越南共产党总书记阮富仲7月19日下午在河内因病去世，享年八十岁。阮富仲三次当选越共总书记，在位13年，是在位时间第三长的越共最高领导人。2018年至2021年的三年间，他同时兼任越南国家主席。

在阮富仲的领导下，越南的人均GDP增长超过一倍。2013年他发起大规模熔炉反腐败运动，成千上万的政府官员、高层干部、企业高管被起诉、判刑或被迫辞职。在对外关系上，阮富仲领导越南与不同意识形态的国家发展或升级了伙伴关系。

阮富仲被称为真正的马克思列宁主义者。在他去世后，越共还有理论家吗？这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，听主持人韩咏红和新加坡尤索夫伊萨东南亚研究院访问研究员阮清江评价阮富仲对越南的贡献及探讨他的逝世会对越南政局带来什么变化。

延伸阅读：

• 阮富仲去世留权力真空 分析指国家主席苏林最可能接班
• 越南政治“四大支柱”之首——阮富仲生平

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong passed away last Friday (July 19) at the age of 80, after holding the country's most powerful position for 13 years. 

In 2021, Trong was reelected as party chief for an unprecedented third term, cementing his status as one of the most powerful leaders in Vietnam’s history. 

Under his leadership, Vietnam experienced significant economic growth, with its GDP per capita more than doubling. His "bamboo diplomacy" skillfully balanced Vietnam's relationships with global superpowers while promoting a foreign policy of independence and diversification.

Trong joined the editorial team of the Communist Review magazine at the age of 23, eventually becoming its editor-in-chief. A Marxist-Leninist ideologue, he studied Russian and earned a doctorate in party building. His ascent in the party ranks was steady: joining the Central Committee in 1994, the Politburo in 1999, and assuming the role of General Secretary in 2011. From 2018 to 2021, he also concurrently held the position of Vietnam's President.

Trong's passing raises critical questions about succession and the future of Vietnamese politics. In this episode of the Global Heartbeat podcast, host Han Yong Hong is joined by Nguyen Thanh Giang, a Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. Together, they explore Nguyen Phu Trong's life and legacy and discuss the implications of his death for Vietnam's future.

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday, 7.00 PM SGT. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

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