Editing Lê Duẩn (section)

=== Political infighting and power ===
Lê Duẩn was officially named First Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1960, thereby succeeding Hồ as the party's [[de facto]] leader even though the latter remained its chairman. However, Hồ continued to influence North Vietnam's governance: Lê Duẩn, [[Tố Hữu]], [[Trường Chinh]] and [[Phạm Văn Đồng]] (all of whom were influential figures in the country's politics during and after the war) often shared dinner with him. In 1963, Hồ purportedly corresponded with [[Leaders of South Vietnam|South Vietnamese President]] [[Ngo Dinh Diem|Ngô Đình Diệm]] in the hope of achieving a negotiated peace.{{sfn|Brocheux|2007|p=174}} Together with Lê Đức Thọ, ''Head of the Party Organisational Department'' and [[Nguyễn Chí Thanh]], a military general, Lê Duẩn tried to monopolise the decision-making process – this became even more evident following Hồ's death.{{sfn|Brocheux|2007|p=170}} In 1964, Hồ's health began to fail and Lê Duẩn, as his trusted underling, more visibly took on day-to-day decision-making responsibilities.{{sfn|Ang|2002|p=10}} Some Western analysts{{who|date=January 2013}} claim that by 1965 Hồ and Lê Duẩn had split and that "for all intents and purposes" Lê Duẩn had sidelined Hồ. Lê Duẩn, Lê Đức Thọ and [[Phạm Hùng]] "progressively tried to neutralise Hồ Chí Minh" and Phạm Văn Đồng.{{sfn|Roberts|2006|p=482}}

By the late-1960s, Hồ's declining health had weakened his position within the leadership. While Hồ was still consulted on important decisions, Lê Duẩn dominated the Party. When Hồ died on 2 September 1969, the [[collective leadership]] he had espoused continued, but Lê Duẩn was first among equals.{{sfn|Woods|2002|p=74}} The Central Committee's first resolution following Hồ's death pledged to uphold the collective leadership. Lê Duẩn chaired Hồ's funeral committee and gave the event's final speech.{{sfn|Trung|2002|p=54}}

From the beginning the party leadership had split into pro-Soviet, pro-Chinese and moderate factions.{{sfn|Van|Cooper|1983|p=69}} Under Hồ the party had followed a policy of neutrality between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China in the aftermath of the [[Sino–Soviet split]]. This policy continued until reunification. While the Politburo made decisions through consensus, Lê Duẩn, through his post as General Secretary, was the most powerful figure and was able to increase his power via his alliance with Lê Đức Thọ, [[Trần Quốc Hoàn]] and Võ Nguyên Giáp. Together with Lê Đức Thọ, Lê Duẩn controlled personnel appointments in the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (Vietnam)|Ministry of Internal Affairs]], the [[State Planning Commission (Vietnam)|State Planning Commission]], the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Political Directorate of the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN), the General Logistics Department of the PAVN and the Ministry of Transport.{{sfn|Van|Cooper|1983|pp=70–71}}

To strengthen their hold on power, Lê Duẩn and Lê Đức Thọ established a [[patronage|patronage network]]. For instance Lê Đức Thọ's brother, [[Đinh Đức Thiện]] was appointed Minister of Communications and Transport; in April 1982 [[Đồng Sĩ Nguyên]], a protégé of Lê Duẩn, became Minister of Transport. [[Mai Chí Thọ]], friend of Lê Đức Thọ, was Chairman of the People's Committee of [[Ho Chi Minh City|Hồ Chí Minh City]] (equivalent to a mayor) from 1978 to 1985. Several of Lê Duẩn's relatives were appointed to offices in the propaganda and culture sector. However, with the exception of Mai Chí Thọ none of these figures reached the pinnacles of power in Vietnamese politics.{{sfn|Van|Cooper|1983|pp=71–72}}