Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang dies on September 21 at the age of 61 after a prologued illness, state run media reported.
/ AFP PHOTO / POOL / MINH HOANG
(Eagle News) — The Philippine government offered its deepest condolences to the government of Vietnam on Sunday on the death of its President, Tran Dai Quang, last Friday.
Quang, 61, passed away from a “serious illness despite devoted treatment by professors and doctors” both in Vietnam and abroad, the official Vietnam News Agency said.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement: “The Palace offers its deepest condolences to the government and people of Vietnam on the demise of President Tran Dai Quang. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family and the Vietnamese people.”
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte recalls with fondness the warmth and the hospitality extended by President Quang during his first official visit to Vietnam in 2016 and Vietnam’s hosting of the APEC Summit in 2017,” Roque said.
In office as president since April 2016 after more than four decades at the powerful Ministry of Public Security, Quang had a reputation as a tough leader with little tolerance for dissent.
Though he held one of the country’s top four positions and was officially the head of state, his role as president was seen as largely ceremonial, greeting visiting leaders and hosting diplomatic events in a bid to boost Vietnam’s profile on the world stage. (with a report from Agence France Presse)