Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram to General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, offering condolences over the death of Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang, the Kremlin press service reported.

"Putin stressed that by his service as head of state, as well as at other positions of trust, Tran Dai Quang earned due respect among his countrymen and prominent global stature, and did a lot to consolidate the country’s national security to protect Vietnam’s interests on the global stage," the report says. The head of state also lauded Tran Dai Quang’s personal contribution to cultivating the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam and bilateral cooperation in various spheres.

"The Russian president noted that he repeatedly met with Tran Dai Quang," the telegram says. "His political wisdom and shrewdness and the ability to understand the core of the most complicated things which drew the most sincere respect."

Putin offered his sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, the government and the Vietnamese people.

Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang died at the age of 61 on Friday at 10:05 (06:05 Moscow time) at Hanoi’s Military Central Hospital 108.

Tran Dai Quang, who had earlier served as Vietnamese Minister of Public Security, became president in 2016, replacing Truong Tan Sang, aged 67, who had served as the head of state since 2011. Tran Dai Quang’s candidacy was supported by 91% of members of the National Assembly (one-chamber parliament), which is the supreme governing body in the country under the Constitution.

He was born in Vietnam’s Ninh Binh Province. He was a regular state security officer, Juris Doctor, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (since 2006) and a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee Communist Party of Vietnam.