HÀ NỘI – Leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly, Government, Việt Nam Fatherland Front and the armed forces, representatives of people nationwide, and foreign dignitaries paid tribute to President Trần Đại Quang at the National Funeral Hall in Hà Nội yesterday.

The State funeral for Trần Đại Quang, Politburo member and President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam, is being held by the Party Central Committee, National Assembly, State President Office, Government and Việt Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee.

President Trần Đại Quang is laid in state at the National Funeral Hall, No 5 Trần Thánh Tông, Hà Nội.

The country is observing a two-day period of national mourning starting from yesterday. The respect-paying ceremony started at 7am yesterday and ended at 7am today (Thursday), followed by a memorial service at 7:30am. The burial ceremony will take place starting at 3:30pm on the same day at Hamlet 13, Quang Thiện Commune, Kim Sơn District, Ninh Bình Province.

Since early yesterday, delegations from the Party, State, National Assembly, Government, Vietnam Fatherland Front, the armed forces, and crowds of officials, Party members and people of all strata from the capital city and many other cities and provinces nationwide gathered at the National Funeral Hall to pay tribute to the President, who devoted his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Party and nation.

Family members of President Trần Đại Quang, led by his wife Nguyễn Thị Hiền, were the first to offer incense and flowers to their beloved.

Then, the delegation from the Party Central Committee led by General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng paid homage to the President.

Writing in the funeral guest book, the Party leader noted that President Trần Đại Quang has made great contributions to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, especially the people’s police force, as well as to national construction and defence.

His passing is a great loss to the Party, State and people of Việt Nam, he wrote.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, who led the Government delegation, wrote in the funeral guest book that during the more than 40 years of his career, President Trần Đại Quang was always a wholehearted and responsible official who made every effort to overcome difficulties and hardships to excellently fulfill all tasks entrusted to him by the Party, State and people.

“He made great contributions to the national renewal, construction and defence,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, who led the delegation of the NA, wrote that President Trần Đại Quang’s devotion to the building and safeguarding of the country, Party and State and his the orientation of heart toward the people will be forever remembered by his comrades and people nationwide.

The respect-paying ceremony continued with the State President Office delegation led by Acting President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh and delegations from the Việt Nam Fatherland Front and the Ministries of Defence and Public Security.

Former Party, State, Government and NA leaders also came to pay respect to President Tran Dai Quang, as did delegations from ministries, central agencies, cities and provinces nationwide.

Leading a delegation from Ninh Bình Province, the homeland of President Quang, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyễn Thị Thanh expressed her deep grief at the passing of the exemplary figure of the province.

“The Party organisation, authorities and people of Ninh Bình have always been proud of President Trần Đại Quang,” she wrote in the funeral book.

Foreign delegations

Many delegations from foreign parties, States and Governments as well as ambassadors and charges d’affaires, and representatives from international organisations in Việt Nam paid tribute to President Quang.

Lao Vice President Phankham Viphavanh, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hunsen, Vice President of Cuba’s Council of State and Council of Ministers Roberto Morales Ojeda, and Deputy Chairwoman of the State Duma of Russia Epifanova Olga Nikolaevna led the delegations to the ceremony.

A delegation from Japan was led by Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Toshihiro Nika. Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko also sent a wreath to the funeral.

Prime Minister Lee Nak Yeon led a delegation from the Republic of Korea, while Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean headed a delegation from Singapore.

Foreign delegations also included those from China led by Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China Zhao Leji, Malaysia led by Deputy PM Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Thailand led by Deputy PM Chatchai Sarikulya, and Indonesia led by President Joko Widodo’s special envoy.

Joining the line of delegations were delegates from the World Federation of Trade Unions led by General Secretary George Mavrikos, and from Mozambique led by former President Armando Emilio Guebuza.

Archbishop Marek Zalewski, Non-residential Pontifical Representative to Việt Nam, and Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Nhơn also led delegations of the Vatican and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Việt Nam, respectively, to pay homage to President Quang.

Funeral books open

Large numbers of overseas Vietnamese, ambassadors and representatives from delegations to the UN, international organisations in New York and local officials came to the mission’s headquarters to pay respects to the Vietnamese President.

The heads of State and Government along with senior officials of many countries, who are in New York for the high-level meeting of the 73rd UN General Assembly, also paid tribute to President Tran Dai Quang.

Việt Nam’s permanent mission to the United Nations held a ceremony to pay tribute to President Trần Đại Quang and opened a funeral book from Monday through Tuesday (New York time).

Vietnamese embassies in numerous countries worldwide, including Laos, Cambodia, Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Japan yesterday held respect-paying ceremonies and opened condolence books for the late President. — VNS