President Tharman, PM Wong pay tribute to late Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong
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Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong died on July 19 at the age of 80.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SINGAPORE – Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong was devoted to improving the lives of the Vietnamese people, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam as he paid tribute to Mr Trong, who died on July 19 at the age of 80.
Mr Trong was a former Vietnamese president, and was general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
In a letter to Vietnam’s President To Lam on July 20, Mr Tharman said: “Throughout his lifetime, General Secretary Trong devoted himself to the upliftment of the Vietnamese people. Their greatly improved livelihoods and the country’s growing prosperity are testament to his work.”
Mr Trong’s dedication to stamping out corruption was also a defining element of his leadership, Mr Tharman said.
“He was a steadfast believer in Vietnam’s potential, and worked tirelessly to ensure that the Communist Party of Vietnam and government would be in the best position to realise it,” Mr Tharman added.
“My heartfelt thoughts are with the people of Vietnam and General Secretary Trong’s family during this difficult time.”
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who penned a tribute to Mr Trong on Facebook on July 20,
In his letter, he highlighted how Mr Trong’s leadership had contributed significantly to Vietnam’s rapid economic growth and improvements to the lives of the Vietnamese people.
PM Wong also said Mr Trong was a close friend of Singapore and that his visit to the Republic in September 2012 was a catalyst for Singapore and Vietnam to establish a strategic partnership in 2013.
“Under his steadfast leadership, bilateral relations continued to deepen and broaden, with both sides now working on upgrading our relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in the near future,” he said.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also paid tribute to Mr Trong’s able leadership which saw Vietnam grow from strength to strength and make remarkable socio-economic strides.
In his letter to chairman Le Hoai Trung of the Commission for External Relations of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Dr Balakrishnan said: “In the last decade, Vietnam has risen not only as an economic power in the region, but also a deft diplomatic actor.”
Dr Balakrishnan recalled meeting Mr Trong in August 2023 when then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Vietnam.
Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore’s relationship with Vietnam flourished with Mr Trong at its helm, citing as examples both countries establishing a strategic partnership in 2013, celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2023 and discussing elevating their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“Singapore and Vietnam share a deep relationship grounded by mutual trust, which is in no small part due to the strong support of General Secretary Trong and the Vietnamese leadership,” he added.
Mr Trong died after a 13-year reign as chief of the Vietnamese Communist Party. He had suffered from ill health, including a stroke in April 2019.
Vietnam will hold a two-day state funeral next week for Mr Trong, with two days of national mourning set for July 25 and 26.
