In this photo from 2010, Kostas Sarantidis met with former President Nguyễn Minh Triết in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Khang

HÀ NỘI — State President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and former President Nguyễn Minh Triết on Saturday expressed profound condolences over the death of Greek Hero of the Việt Nam People's Armed Forces Kostas Sarantidis.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh did the same, while Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Phan Văn Giang, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn, and President of the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyễn Phương Nga sent messages of condolences to the family of the 94-year-old.

Sarantidis was born in 1927 in Athens. The Greek national was 16 when he was sent to the German army in 1943. After World War II, he could not return home as he had no identity documents and later joined the French Foreign Legion and was mobilised to Indochina.

Since Sarantidis set foot in Sài Gòn (now HCM City) in 1946, he decided to follow the Việt Minh (the short name for Việt Nam Độc Lập Đồng Minh Hội or Việt Nam Independence League) as he had witnessed the colonisers’ crimes against innocent Vietnamese and realised the aspirations of the Vietnamese revolution.

He was known to have said he considers Việt Nam his own homeland.

The soldier, with the Vietnamese name Nguyễn Văn Lập, had made various accomplishments during his service and was presented with awards from the Party and State of Việt Nam.

He was honoured with the Friendship Order and received Vietnamese citizenship in January 2011.

In 2013, Lập was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces of Việt Nam. — VNS