More than 80 Vietnamese and foreign delegations paid tribute to President Nelson Mandela at the South African Embassy in Vietnam from December 9-13.

They include President Truong Tan Sang, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, representatives of Vietnamese ministries, branches and agencies, and foreign embassies and international organisations in Hanoi such as India, Cuba, Venezuela and the UK.

In the mourning book, they conveyed deepest sympathy to the South African people and the deceased’s family, expressing their hope that the South African people would surpass the heart-breaking period to continue the President’s noble ideal of a democratic, free and equal world.

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