Among the leaders on hand were Politburo member and permanent member of the Party’s Secretariat Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member and State President Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai, and General – Defense Minister Phan Van Giang.

The leaders wrote in the condolence book, praising Sen. Lieu. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh as a military General with a strategic vision who had made significant contributions to the common cause of the Party, people and army, especially in the fields of intelligence and defense foreign affairs.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent flowers in tribute to the Sen. Lieu. Gen.

Defense delegations of a number of foreign countries also paid a floral tribute to the former Deputy Minister of National Defense.

Gen. Vinh passed away in Hanoi on September 14 at the age of 66 after a period of combating illness.

The military intelligence expert was a Professor and Doctor of Philosophy in international relations. He held several positions in the General Department of Defense Intelligence before being elected Deputy Minister of National Defense in 2009.

He was elected to the Party Central Committee in the 11th and 12th tenures, and retired in late 2021.

During his 12 years serving as Deputy Minister of National Defense, Vinh made practical contributions to promoting the development of Vietnam’s defense diplomacy, including sending forces to UN peacekeeping missions and organizing a series of ASEAN defense meetings.

The former Deputy Defense Minister frankly made comments on a number of thorny issues, including the East Sea issue. He affirmed that powerful countries must respect ASEAN’s rules of the game and no one can force Vietnam to take sides.

The Party and State have presented the Senior Lieutenant General many noble awards in recognition of his contributions to national development and defense. He was also honoured with noble distinctions by Cambodia, Russia, Cuba and Japan.