Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang Passes Away

Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang died on Friday at age 61 after a prolonged and serious illness, state media reported.

Quang, whose role was largely ceremonial, was previously the head of Vietnam’s ministry of public security, which was criticised by the West due to its human rights record.

Quang became the country’s president in April 2016 and was effectively Vietnam’s second-in-command after Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong.

Quang worked to deepen ties with the United States, Vietnam’s one-time foe, against the background of overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea.