A Vietnamese delegation led by Dao Viet Trung, Head of the Presidential Office and special envoy of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang paid tribute to President Nelson Mandela at the Union Buildings, the seat of South African government, on Dec. 11.

In the mourning book, Trung extended profound sympathy on behalf of the Party, State and people of Vietnam to the African National Congress, the South African people and the family of the late President, an eminent and preeminent leader of his country and people.

Vietnamese people will forever remember Mandela as a big friend, who supported and encouraged Vietnamese people during the country’s struggle for independence and development, he wrote.

The same day, a delegation of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, led by Deputy Chairman Le Manh Ha laid wreath at the South African Consulate General in the city to pay tribute to the late president.

Ha expressed his belief that the South African people will overcome this great loss to continue striving to follow his example and see their nation develop.

President Truong Tan Sang on December 10 led a State delegation to pay homage to Mandela at the Embassy of South Africa in Hanoi.

Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5 at the age of 95.

He was a staunch soldier and a prominent hero of the South African people, who devoted his whole life to the fight against oppression, injustice and apartheid in South Africa and the world as well.-VNA