The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has sent a message of condolences to the Central Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Workers ’ Party over the death of its General Secretary, Kim Jong-il.

DPRK’s top leader died of heart failure on Dec. 17 at the age of 69.

On the same day, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi expressed deep sympathy over the death of the top leader of the DPRK.

“We offer the deepest condolences to the Party, State and people of the DPRK over the death of Kim Jong-il, General Secretary of the DPRK Workers’ Party, Chairman of the National Defence Commission and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the DPRK People’s Army,” Nghi told reporters.

“We believe that the DPRK people will overcome this great loss to continue their national construction and development,” he said./.