Vietnamese leaders sent letters of condolences to their Chinese counterparts on June 4 over the recent tragic boat sinking on the Yangtze River which has claimed at least 65 lives.

State President Truong Tan Sang extended his condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping while Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung conveyed his sympathy to Premier Li Keqiang.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh conveyed messages of sympathy to State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

On the same day, at the Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference, Deputy Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang extended profound condolences to the Chinese Government, people and victims’ relatives.

She hoped that search and rescue efforts by the Chinese Government would be successful in finding missing persons as soon as possible.-VNA