Lao Prime Minister Thongsin Thammavong led a delegation to pay tribute and lay a wreath to General Vo Nguyen Giap at the Vietnamese Embassy in Vientiane on October 12.

In the funeral book, the PM expressed his deep sorrow over the passing of General Giap, who together with other high-ranking Vietnamese leaders always pays much attention to strengthening the Laos-Vietnam friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

Delegations of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee, National Assembly, Defence Ministry, among others, also paid respect to the late General.

The same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia held a respect-paying service of for General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Mien Sam An, Permanent Deputy Chairwoman of the Cambodia Women For Peace and Development Association, said the passing of General Giap is a great loss not only to the Vietnamese people but also the people in Cambodia and the whole world.

Representatives of the embassies of China, India, Cuba, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, and Brunei in Cambodia as well as delegations of the Cambodia Senate and other organisations came to pay tribute to the General.

Also on October 12, the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau ( China ) held respect-paying services for General Giap.

On October 11-12, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US received representatives of the US authorities, Congress and diplomatic missions in Washington, the Vietnamese representative offices and overseas Vietnamese in the US to pay tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong affirmed that the embassy’s staff members will always be grateful to the General, who devoted his whole life to the nation’s revolutionary cause.

Acting Assistant to the US Secretary of State Scot Marciel, on behalf of the US Government, paid respect to the General, saying that General Giap is an important individual and leader of the Vietnamese people and a supporter to the reconciliation and improvement of the Vietnam-US relations.

US Senator Tom Harkin, who met General Giap when visiting Vietnam in 1995, asserted that the deceased is a great person who never gives up the fight for national independence.

For his part, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega said General Giap is remembered as one of the leaders who played a key role in the Vietnamese victory against the French colonialist regime.

Representatives of the Lao, Cambodian, Indonesian and Algerian embassies came to bid farewell to General Giap.

In the first day of the regular session on October 10, the Venezuelan National Assembly adopted a resolution to remember General Vo Nguyen Giap and also extended the deepest condolences to the Vietnamese Party, Government and General Giap’s family.

At the meeting, Former President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Soto Rojas said the General inspired a solidarity movement for Vietnam in all over the world to protect the basic rights of the nations.

In an interview granted to a Vientiane–based Vietnam News Agency’s reporter, former Lao President and former Chairman of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee, General Khamtay Siphandone said that General Giap had a close relationship with the Lao people and army during the fight against the colonialists and imperialists as well as during peace time.

The former Lao President said the determination of Vietnam and Laos in building a fighting alliance to create a combined strength to defeat all the enemies is always in his mind.-VNA