HANOI -- A respect-paying ceremony for former Vietnamese president Tran Duc Luong began on Saturday morning at the National Funeral Hall in the capital Hanoi, Vietnam News Agency reported.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man attended the ceremony.

The coffin, draped in the Vietnamese national flag and adorned with a black mourning ribbon, was solemnly placed at the center of the hall.

Above it hung a banner that read: "Infinite sorrow for comrade Tran Duc Luong, former Politburo member, former President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," alongside a portrait of the late leader.

A ceremony to lower the flag at half-mast was held at 6:00 am on Saturday here at Ba Dinh Square.

At the same time, the respect-paying ceremonies were solemnly held in Ho Chi Minh City and his hometown in central Quang Ngai province.

The memorial service is scheduled to be held at 7:00 am on Sunday in Hanoi, followed by the burial ceremony at 3:00 pm the same day in Quang Ngai province.

Tran Duc Luong passed away on Tuesday at the age of 88, following a period of illness.