President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has written to President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has written to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has written to Chairman of the Commission for External Relations of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung, to convey their condolences on the passing of Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on 19 July 2024.
The text of the letters is appended.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
21 JULY 2024
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Letter from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to President To Lam
20 July 2024
His Excellency To Lam
President
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Your Excellency,
On behalf of the people of the Republic of Singapore, I extend my deepest condolences to the people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong.
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. General Secretary Trong’s dedication to stamping out corruption was also a defining element of his leadership. He was a steadfast believer in Vietnam’s potential, and worked tirelessly to ensure that the CPV and government would be in the best position to realise it.
My heartfelt thoughts are with the people of Vietnam and General Secretary Trong’s family during this difficult time.
Yours sincerely,
THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM
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Letter from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh
20 July 2024
His Excellency Pham Minh Chinh
Prime Minister
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Your Excellency,
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Singapore, I extend my deepest condolences to the Government and people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong.
Over the course of a multi-decade career in the CPV, including 13 years as General Secretary, General Secretary Trong’s leadership contributed significantly to Vietnam’s rapid economic growth and improvements to the lives of the Vietnamese people. As General Secretary, his emphasis on party-building and dedication to stamping out corruption provided important direction for the reform and strengthening of the CPV and the State.
General Secretary Trong was also a close friend of Singapore. His visit to Singapore in September 2012 was a catalyst for Singapore and Vietnam to establish a Strategic Partnership the following year. 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.
Please accept my deepest condolences during this difficult time.
Yours sincerely,
LAWRENCE WONG
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Letter from Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to Chairman of the Commission for External Relations of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung
20 July 2024
His Excellency Le Hoai Trung
Chairman of the Commission for External Relations
Communist Party of Vietnam
Your Excellency,
I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong. Please accept my deepest condolences.
Under General Secretary Trong’s able leadership, Vietnam has grown from strength to strength and made remarkable socio-economic strides. In the last decade, Vietnam has risen not only as an economic power in the region, but also a deft diplomatic actor.
I had the honour of meeting General Secretary Trong last August when then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Vietnam. With General Secretary Trong at its helm, Singapore’s relationship with Vietnam has flourished. During his tenure, Singapore and Vietnam established a Strategic Partnership in 2013, celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations last year, and commenced discussions on elevating our 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.
My thoughts are with you and the Vietnamese people during this difficult time.
Yours sincerely,
DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN