Laos to hold state mourning for Vietnamese President

By Vu Anh, Phan Anh   September 24, 2018 | 10:06 pm PT
Laos to hold state mourning for Vietnamese President
Late Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang. Photo by AFP
Laos has declared two days of state mourning in tribute to late Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

Laos will observe state mourning from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday Hanoi time, during which governmental, military and public buildings will fly national flags at half mast, and no public entertainment events will be held, Vietnam News Agency reported Monday.

The Thai government has also announced to fly national flags at half mast at all governmental buildings from Monday to Wednesday to commemorate Quang.

Vietnam established diplomatic relationship with Laos in 1962 and Thailand in 1976. Cuba, a diplomatic partner of Vietnam's since 1960, had held similar memorial services for Quang.

President Quang passed away at 10:05 a.m. on Friday at the 108 Military Hospital in Hanoi, after fighting a serious illness for more than a year. He was 62.

During his political career, he held several high-ranking positions, and was Minister of Public Security before being selected to be the country's president in April 2016.

Quang was also a member of the Politburo, the decision-making body of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

He will lie in state at the National Funeral Home at 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi, where mourners can pay their respects from 7 a.m. Wednesday. He will be buried in his hometown Ninh Binh Province, south of Hanoi, on Thursday afternoon.

 
 
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