Officials, diplomats in Asia mourn for late Party leader of Vietnam

J.P. Nadda, President of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, paying respect to General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng at the ceremony at the Consulate General of Việt Nam in Mumbai city. VNA/VNS Photo Quang Trung

HÀ NỘI The passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng has saddened foreign officials, diplomats, and overseas Vietnamese who have continued coming to Việt Nam’s diplomatic missions in many countries, including India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Laos, to offer condolences.

The Consulate General of Việt Nam in Mumbai city, the Indian state of Maharashtra, held a respect-paying ceremony on July 25 – 26, when national mourning was also observed in the homeland.

Representatives of the Maharashtra administration, the consulates general of such countries as Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Iran, and Switzerland, along with associations, agencies, and sectors of Mumbai and Maharashtra paid homage to the late leader and extended condolences to the Party, State, and people of Việt Nam and the bereaved family.

Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the Indian National Congress, paid his last respect to General Secretary Trọng at the Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi. In his message of condolence, Gandhi emphasised the deceased’s over six decades of efforts to build a strong CPV, all people’s admiration for his pure ideology and morality, as well as his decisive leadership that has helped build a more integrated society and lift millions of people out of poverty.

At the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangladesh, the two-day respect paying ceremony saw the presence of 27 delegations, including those of Vietnamese people in Bangladesh, the host country’s Foreign Ministry, leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and the Workers Party of Bangladesh, which have official relations with the CPV, along with many local friends.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh Ruhin Hossain Prince wrote in the condolence book that his party will forever remember and treasure Trọng for his substantial contributions to the development of a modern Việt Nam and the corruption combat.

President of the Workers Party of Bangladesh Rashed Khan Menon stated that the General Secretary’s passing is a loss to not only Vietnamese people or the CPV but also the communist movement in Southeast Asia.

Ambassadors and high commissioners of ASEAN member countries and the nations having comprehensive strategic partnerships with Việt Nam like China, Russia, India, the Republic of Korea, and Japan came to offer condolences. They also hailed the leader’s dedications to Việt Nam’s relations with their countries.

In the Philippines, the Vietnamese Embassy also received a number of delegations representing the host country’s Government and state agencies to pay tribute to the Vietnamese leader.

Coming to the respect-paying service, Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Charles Jose wrote in the condolence book that General Secretary Trọng will be remembered as a hope and a bright source of inspiration for the Vietnamese people as he put people’s interests at the centre of policies.

More than 30 representative diplomatic bodies in the archipelago nation, including the US, China, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Germany, Canada, and Southeast Asian countries, sent letters of condolences and paid tribute to the Party chief.

Delegates from businesses, the World Health Organisation (WHO), some organisations and associations, and the Vietnamese community in the Philippines were also present at the ceremony.

A large number of Vietnamese expatriates, including young people, in Malaysia also came to the respect-paying ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy there on July 25 – 26.

Nguyen Ba Tan, First Secretary of the embassy, said the number of Vietnamese studying and working in Malaysia, has been on the rise over the last 10 years. There are now more than 30,000 Vietnamese, including about 800 students, in Malaysia. He expressed his hope that the ideology, contributions, and lifestyle of General Secretary Trọng will become a lodestar for overseas Vietnamese to follow.

Eighty-two delegations with more than 300 members representing the Government, diplomatic missions, associations, and the Vietnamese community in Malaysia paid their respect to the Party leader at the two-day service.

In Laos, hundreds of delegations from the country’s Party agencies and administrations from central to local levels, foreign diplomatic missions, and Vietnamese people’s associations also visited the respect-paying ceremonies held by the Vietnamese Embassy and consulates general across Laos on July 25 – 26.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Vientiane capital received more than 110 delegations to the ceremony on July 25 – 26. The events held by the consulates general of Việt Nam in southern Pakse province and northern Luang Prabang province saw the presence of over 50 delegations each. The Consulate General in the central province of Savannakhet received more than 30 delegations coming to pay tribute and wrote in the condolence book.

In particular, on the two days of national mourning in Việt Nam, the Party organisations and administrations of Houaphanh and Xiengkhuang provinces in northern Laos organised respect-paying services for General Secretary Trọng.