Foreign leaders condole with Vietnam for President Quang’s demise

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace of Cambodia Samdech Kong Sam delivers a letter of condolence.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace Samdech Kong Sam Ol handed over the letter of condolence from Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on September 24 at the Cambodian Embassy in Cambodia upon hearing President Tran Dai Quang’s passing.

In his letter, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni extended his deepest condolences to President Tran Dai Quang's family and the Vietnamese people for their great loss.

In his condolences sent to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techno Hun Sen said the passing of President Quang is a huge loss of a great and admirable leader of the country and people of Vietnam, and a good friend of Cambodia.

On behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, PM Hun Sen extended his deepest sympathies and condolences to the Government and people of Vietnam as well as the family of the late President for such a huge loss.

First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) Central Committee Raul Castro Ruz has extended his condolences to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He wrote, “On behalf of the PCC and the people of Cuba, as well as in my own name, I extend the deepest condolences to you and to the family of President Tran Dai Quang.” He added that President Quang was a great friend of Cuba and a strong promoter of the historic friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, conveyed condolences to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc over the demise of President Tran Dai Quang. He called President Quang a “loyal friend of the Cuban Revolution”.

On September 24, the Lao Prime Minister’s Office announced two days of national mourning for President Tran Dai Quang. It asked ministries, relevant agencies, and all localities to fly flags at half-mast from 6am on September 26 to 6pm on September 27, and to suspend all recreational activities throughout the nation during this time.

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith, on behalf of the LPRP Central Committee, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Central Committee of the Lao Front for National Construction, also offered a message of condolences to the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee.

The same day, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand to pay tribute to President Quang.

In the condolence book, he wrote that, on behalf of the Government and people of Thailand, he would like to offer their sympathies and deepest condolences to the Government and people of Vietnam over the demise of President Quang.

The President’s contributions to Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will always be remembered and respected, he added.

He told Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Hai Bang that he once met with President Quang and was impressed with the late leader’s dedication to the country. He hoped that the Vietnamese Government and people will overcome this loss to continue fostering the two countries’ ties.

Bang thanked the Thai PM and people for their good sentiment and highly spoke of the PM’s order that flags be flown at half-mast for three days, from September 24 to 26, at Government agencies and State-owned businesses in memory of President Quang.

The same day, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai also paid homage to the late President of Vietnam at the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok.

Earlier on September 23 in Vientiane, Laos, hundreds of Vietnamese Buddhist monks and followers attended a requiem to pray for President Tran Dai Quang at the Phat Tich Pagoda.

President Tran Dai Quang died on September 21 in Hanoi aged 62 due to serious illness. He was elected State President of Vietnam since April 2016.