VietNamNet Bridge - General Vo Nguyen Giap’s coffin is being driven to his resting place in Vung Chua-Yen island in Quang Binh province.
The General's coffin arrived at Dong Hoi Airport at 12am.
11.00: People from Quang Binh and adjacent areas gathered outside the Dong Hoi airport, waiting to bid farewell to General Giap.
12:00: General Giap's coffin was removed from the plane and placed on a gun carriage driven by a hearse. Among coffin bearers were State President Truong Tan Sang and Politburo member Le Hong Anh.
12.20: The motorcade carrying General Giap's coffin left Dong Hoi Airport for Vung Chua-Yen island.
12.30: Thousands of locals flooded to the National Highway 1A to bid farewell to the General. Some even climbed to the rooftop of buildings to see the procession.
12.50: Police worked hard to clear traffic as people crowded both sides of National Highway No1.
13.15: The motorcade ran through Hoan Lao town, about 40km away from Vung Chua. Thousands waved their hands, showing their respects to the revered General, when the motorcade moved past.
1.50: People continue to converge on Vung Chua where a burial rite for General Vo Nguyen Giap will be held in a couple of hours. The organising board set up kiosks to provide drinking water and food to mourners.
14.26: The motorcade arrived in Ba Don town, and local people poured into the road in large crowds, forcing the organising board to stop the procession for a moment for mourners to bid farewell to the General.
14.50: The motorcade moved into Vung Chua. An estimated 500,000 local people lined the road to watch the procession.
15.00: Vung Chua was crowded with hundreds of thousands of mourners from across the country. Many could not find a small place to stay.
15.30: The coffin was driven to the burial site on Rong cape, Vung Chua.
15.57: Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, head of the funeral's organising board, declared the start of the burial service.
16.05: The casket was lowered slowly into the grave site.
16.24: Party, State, military leaders and General Giap's family threw first handfuls of soil over the casket, bidding their last farewells to the General.
17.03: Senior Party, State leaders filed past the grave the last time after observing a minute’s silence in honour of General Giap.
Quang Binh prepared for the funeral at Dong Hoi Airport:
People were waiting along the road outside the airport.
Quang Binh's officials entered the airport to welcome the General's coffin.
The General's coffin arrived at Dong Hoi Airport:
President Truong Tan Sang.
The coffin was moved from the plane to the artillery tractor.
The General's family.
The General's daughter-in-law and grandson.
The procession left the airport to Vung Chua-Yen Island, where the General will rest in peace forever:
Thousands of people wait outside the airport.
Thousands of people waited for the General in Vung Chua, the burial site:
Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, head of the funeral's organising board, declared the start of the burial service.
The General's family.
State leaders put the first handful of soil into the grave.
President Truong Tan Sang.
State and army leaders.
President Truong Tan Sang and Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh.
Photo: VNN/VOV/VNE
