Do Muoi, 1917–2018, Vietnamese political leader, originally named Nguyen Duy Cong. He joined the fight against French rule as a teenager, became a Communist party member in 1939, and was imprisoned by the French during World War II. After the war and Vietnamese independence, he rose in the party and North Vietnamese government, becoming deputy prime minister in 1969 during the Vietnam War. Afterwards, he unsuccessfully tried to integrate the North and South economic systems, leading to an economic downturm; the 1978 purge of capitalists led thousands of business owners to flee the country. A full Politburo member from 1986, he served as prime minister (1988–91), then was Communist party general secretary (1991–97) during the country's gradual economic liberalization.
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