US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink has sent condolences over the passing of Vietnam’s former President Le Duc Anh and hailed the leader’s role in the normalization of the two war adversaries’ relations.
President Le Duc Anh receives US Secretary of State Warren Christopher in Hanoi on August 5, 2015. Photo: Xuan Tuan/VNA
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“We send our sympathies to Le Duc Anh’s family, his loved ones, and to the people of Vietnam,” Kritenbrink said.
President Le Duc Anh passed away on the evening of April 23 at his state-bestowed home in downtown Hanoi at the age of 99. He took part in four wars against foreign invasions in the 20th century. He was made four-star General in 1984 and became Minister of Defense between 1987 and 1991 before being elected President in the 1992-1997 period.
The US removed the embargo against Vietnam in 1994 and the two nations normalized ties one year later.
General Le Duc Anh was Vietnam’s first state dignitary to arrive in the US after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 when he joined the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in New York in 1995.
