Iran Press/ Asia: According to a posting on the government website citing state-run Vietnam News Agency,“President Tran Dai Quang died today despite the utmost efforts from doctors,”.
Quang, 61, a former minister of public security, was elected president in 2016. He was from the northern province of Ninh Binh and was an advocate of growing the nation’s private sector and developing closer ties with the U.S. He had a Vietnamese doctorate degree in law.
“He was the first Vietnam president to meet with us, speak at a U.S.-Vietnam business summit,” said Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi. “He was a big believer in the private sector and improving relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.”
Quang’s death isn’t expected to alter the government’s economic policies, Sitkoff said.
He was among the four most important positions in Vietnam’s power structure, which also includes general secretary of the party, prime minister and head of the National Assembly.
