Former President Tran Duc Luong passes away
The formal state president played a vital role in maintaining national stability and quietly advanced Vietnam’s international integration.
THE HANOI TIMES — Vietnam’s former President Tran Duc Luong passed away at the age of 88 after a period of illness.
Details about the memorial, funeral service, and burial will be announced later.
Former President Tran Duc Luong. Photo: Hoang Ha/VietNamNet
Tran Duc Luong was born in Duc Pho District in the central province of Quang Ngai. He was a Politburo member, a National Assembly deputy, and Deputy Prime Minister before taking office as state president for two terms from September 1997 to June 2006.
Having studied at Hanoi University of Mining and Geology and participated in significant nationwide planning related to geology, the former president was an emeritus professor at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
He retired in July 2006 after more than 50 years of dedicated service to the nation in the fields of mining and geology and high-level leadership.
He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize and the Gold Star Order, the highest honor bestowed by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam upon individuals or collectives with exceptional merit.
In February 2025, he was awarded the 65-year Party Membership Badge. At the award ceremony, President Luong Cuong stated that former President Tran Duc Luong consistently exemplified a true Party member's pioneering spirit and exemplary qualities in every role he assumed. The former president remained absolutely loyal to the Party and the nation. He was dedicated to serving the people and fulfilled all assigned responsibilities with excellence, which earned him the enduring trust of the Party, the State, and the people.
The former president was known to be a quiet yet thoughtful leader who prioritized science and practical outcomes.
