Many foreign readers have sent tributes to late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. VietNamNet would like to quote some of them.
“I only met him a few times but each of the meetings left a deep impression on my mind about a great personality.
“Overseas Vietnamese, both intellectuals and businessmen, whenever they went back to Vietnam and had chances to meet him, had a pile of questions about the country’s economic and social situation. Sometimes, there were very thorny questions about the policy towards overseas Vietnamese and complaints about state agencies’ slow implementation of these policies or their bureaucracy. He always listened to every opinion from overseas Vietnamese and tolerantly dealt with those who were impatient because of lacking information with convincing arguments. Those who met him have very interesting stories about these meetings.
“From 1976, when he became the Party Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, till he held different positions in the central government, he stood out as a leader who was open, willing to engage in dialogues and close to the people.
“It is natural that understood local people, but he also understood overseas Vietnamese. He was so friendly, approachable and he was willing to learn the thinking of each overseas Vietnamese he met, from elderly overseas Vietnamese in Battambang, to famous overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in the world and even those who had contrary political views. It seemed that he always put himself in the circumstances of overseas Vietnamese to understand them.
“After 1975, the overseas Vietnamese community was a divided community because of Vietnam’s historical changes. Millions of people left Vietnam and didn’t think of returning. The patriotic overseas Vietnamese campaign was a small force and played the role of a bridge between the overseas Vietnamese community and Vietnam.
“However, with strong intuition and profound judgment, he realised the strength of the overseas Vietnamese community.
“The Vietnamese economy in the 1970s-1980s faced great difficulties and challenges owing to embargo. In many meetings, he suggested and encouraged the creativeness and the dynamism of patriotic overseas Vietnamese organisations in getting involved to solve the above difficulties.
“He persuaded the Party and the State to accept his point of view and the following measure: HCM City lacked medicines, cloths, milk, etc. and overseas Vietnamese were allowed to send goods to their relatives as gifts. They were also permitted to send money to Vietnam to help their families, applying bonus exchange rates, instead of the inflexible exchange rates of Vietnamese banks at that time. Thanks to his petition, HCM City became the first location to implement this policy.
“If the 6th Party Congress raised the flag of renovation and created a turning point in economic development, this Congress accepted and once again confirmed that there was a part of the Vietnamese people who lived abroad, or overseas Vietnamese. What would overseas Vietnamese contribute to the motherland? In this Congress, for the first time overseas Vietnamese journalists in Germany, Canada and France were allowed to question Mr. Vo Van Kiet about the policies for the overseas Vietnamese community. On this occasion, he called for overseas Vietnamese intellectuals to return home to contribute their brainpower to the nation.
“After this landmark, overseas Vietnamese who had left Vietnam for many different reasons were permitted to return home. He understood that if they were not allowed to return to the motherland, all wounds left by history and the past would never be healed.
“I still remember in 1993, the first spring conference for overseas Vietnamese was organised, initiated by Mr. Vo Van Kiet, gathering hundreds of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals from all over the world. Hundreds of speeches were presented to offer economic, education and sci-tech solutions to the country. He was present at the conference as a great brother with eagerness. He listened to every speech. At that historical conference, for the first time he dared to mention a very new thing: the flag of unity and national harmony. He stressed that patriotism and national unity could surmount all differences, even differences in political views. He also recognised the great potentials of overseas Vietnamese businessmen.
“After many years of living abroad, the community of overseas Vietnamese has grown up and gained many successes. The second generation of overseas Vietnamese has business skills and financial potentials to be able to invest in Vietnam.
“In the spring of 1998, he met some overseas Vietnamese businessmen. In only one day, he understood why overseas Vietnamese’s investment in Vietnam was stalling. After that meeting, a series of problems for overseas Vietnamese’s investment in Vietnam were quickly solved.
“His speeches were always full of new or renewed ideas. In 1993, he spoke about national reconciliation and harmony with a very short sentence as a rule of life: “Together making the people rich and the country strong, we will find our similarities”.
“On the occasion of the country’s 30th anniversary of unity, he not only talked with 80 million local Vietnamese but also 3 million overseas Vietnamese… He spoke about a “closed war”. He sent a message about “sincere tolerance and harmony, to let all Vietnamese people return and build the country together”.
“He didn’t know that the interview was spread widely on the Internet and overseas Vietnamese around the world read it. Among them were people who had different political views than him and those who presently still didn’t want to return to Vietnam, but they found themselves in agreement.
“The wish about a peaceful, prosperous and well-off country is forever the wish of our ancestors. He transferred that flame to our generation. That flame will be maintained forever.”
Phung Vy (Candana)
“Late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet was a steadfast soldier in the war of resistance against the US, a dynamic and creative leader in the renovation period, who fostered the country’s relationships with international friends. When he left office, he was still close to the people and understood the people and continued contributing his opinions to the current leaders. To honour his great contributions, I suggest naming a road after name near Nguyen Van Linh boulevard in District 7, HCM City.
Hoang Thao, Lyerly St, 340 Houston, TX 77022, USA, email: thaohoanghouston@…
“I mourned and felt lonely when I heard of his suddenly passing away. He was a true Communist, associated with and witnessing almost all the ups and downs and important events of the country in the past century. Born in 1922, he is deserved of the way the press described him: a man of great heart, with great vision, very keen, decisive, a critic, a preeminent leader, a captain and an architect of Vietnam in the renovation period.
“Though he was present at many historical events, ups and downs of the nation he was a really open leader of Vietnam and this amazes me and makes me admire him very much. This country needs people like him. As a Vietnamese citizen, I would like to express my sentiments and my admiration for him, a Vietnamese leader. I deeply mourn your passing away. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to offer my condolences to his family!”
Dang Dinh Thi, Virginia, email: thid.dang@…
“Hearing about Mr. Sau Dan’s passing away, as a member of a martyr’s family, I would like to send my condolences to the Party, the Vietnamese people and Mr. Sau Dan’s family. Thank you for your leadership, which helped improve the lives of millions of poor people.”
John Le, Tehama Ave San Jose CA 95122 USA, email: johnle999@
“We young people, who are dynamic and enthusiastic people from all over the world, would like to send our deepest sympathy to your family. We wish your soul to rest in peace in eternity. We will try to study to become useful people to contribute to creating a rich and strong Vietnam. We pay our last respects to you!
Vu Van Uy, Australia, email: vuvanuy@…
“Each nation needs to have an excellent person in a certain period and he was that excellent person in the renovation period. Thank you, the one who opened the door for Vietnam to re-integrate into the globalised world today. Goodbye forever a great soul, a great personality of Vietnam!”
Dao Phuc Lam, Saint Georges Nancy France, email: daophuclam@…
“Hearing of former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet’s passing away, I was stunned and extremely sad! The country has lost a heroic person in war, a lucid and brave person in casting off the chain of red tape, who put the country on the path of renovation and integration into the world. When he retired, he still devoted his heart and soul to the country and contributed lucid opinions about the country’s great issues. His death is a great loss for the whole people. We have forever lost an enthusiastic voice for the country and the people. I would like to convey to the former Prime Minister’s family my deepest condolences! I would like to bow my head to the venerated soul of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet!”
Nguyen Hong Ha, Poland, email: hongha599@…
“I couldn’t believe that he passed away. That gifted and enthusiastic person passed away when the country needs such persons like him. From a far-away place, I would like to bow my head to his soul and to share the pain with his family!”
Phuong, South Korea
“In Paris, when I heard that Mr. Kiet passed away, I was stunned by the news. I know that everyone must die when they get old but… it’s Mr. Kiet! I was born in the 1970s so I’m mature enough to understand Uncle Kiet’s great contribution to our country. I work and live in France so I often talk with foreign friends, who talk much about Uncle Kiet, one of the most preeminent leaders of Vietnam in the renovation period. I would like to send my deep condolences to Uncle Kiet’s family!”
Anne Gracq, Paris, France, email: annegrracq@…
“I couldn’t believe that a great personality, a preeminent leader, a person who lived for the people, and a man with the thinking of renovation has gone away. We have lost a leader and a man who lived for the people and the country. I would like to bow my head to your soul, a great personality of Vietnam!”
Andy Nguyen, San Jose, email: nguyendung99992003@
“I was dumbfounded when hearing about his death. From now on, whenever the country has a big matter and needs the people’s opinion, I will not have a chance to read his enthusiastic and profound opinions. Our country has lost an outstanding and talented person who has always ridden with the country on its ups and downs.”
Hoang Tien, Japan
“I never met Uncle Kiet but I feel he is very close to me. His smile was really impressive, tolerant and full of good wishes. I have lived overseas for over 20 years but I have always followed the motherland. And the things I saw in Uncle Kiet were his big heart and the great vision of a great leader. He was decisive, and dared to think, dared to do, dared to bear responsibility and his heart was full of humanity. It is regretful that he left at this moment, when the country and the people need persons like him. Beside valuable advice, he was the moral support for Vietnamese people.”
Le Quoc Son, Kiev, Ucraina, email: asovina@…
“I was really shocked when I heard that he passed away because I recently saw him very healthy. This morning I got up very early though I had a late night to prepare for my exams tomorrow. I watched from the beginning till his coffin was brought to the last resting-place. I would like to bow my head to his soul, the man who sacrificed his life for the country and the people!”
Nguyen Thanh Tai, South Korea, email: dent144@…
“He was a gifted man and the compass point for the liberal economy. He was the first who made changes to the face of HCM City and Vietnam. He helped Vietnamese people to access the outside world. His passing away is a great loss for the whole people. I would like to bow my head and respectfully wish his soul to join the Great Buddha!”
Long Ma, USA, email: ocean AC2005@…
“He was a loyal student of Uncle Ho. So he acted with a patriotic spirit, for the country and the people. He always chose the people, for the people, dared to think and dared to do. Though I live far away from the country, I’m always directed to the motherland. Hearing that he passed away, I feel like I have lost something very precious.”
Le Binh, Canada, email: binhkongle@…
“I would like to offer my condolences to Mr. Vo Van Kiet’s family in particular ….Vietnam has lost a really outstanding revolutionist of the 20th century. I hope everyone follows him to bring the country to progress. I really admire what he thought of and devoted to the country!”
Manh Vu, USA, email: manhduyvu@…
“Vietnam is a country that has suffered many losses because of wars and natural calamities. However, these losses have forged a brave, patriotic country thirsty for freedom, dynamic, and intelligent in every field, from developing economy to building relations with the world. That’s late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. Though I didn’t live in Vietnam when he was the Prime Minister I still heard much praise for him. Let’s stop for one minute to think of the late PM and thank him for what he did to make the world know about today’s Vietnam. I hope one day there will be a book about late PM Vo Van Kiet so we, people who live far from Vietnam, can read it and keep in our mind his merits.”
Ha Thanh, Germany
“As an overseas Vietnamese student in Australia, I mourn his death. Many readers expressing their gratitude to him have suggested naming the East-West boulevard after him. That’s a good and practical idea. In this situation, I think we should contribute to the country by small but useful acts, for example practicing thrift to curb inflation. If we can do such things, these would be the most practical thanks to the late PM Vo Van Kiet.”
Steve Duong, Orient Grove West Preston VIC 3072, Australia, email: s3191766@…
Recently I read his opinions about poor people. “To develop the country, we can’t lack core policies to solve the roots of problems associated with the poor.” I was inwardly thankful that our country has such persons like him. The country will exceed the current difficult period if we have many people who wonder and think of the people and the country like Uncle Kiet. It was shocking news that he passed away. I couldn’t hold back my tears. That’s a great loss. I would like to make my last farewells to him, a great heart who contributed his whole life to the country. Thank you for lighting up the love for the nation and the poor in all generations, in the community of overseas Vietnamese!”
