President Tharman, PM Wong pay tribute to late Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong

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.

- Chin Hui Shan

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.”