The First Vice Chairman of the Russia - Vietnam Friendship Association used to call Vu Khoan an 'architecture' of Vietnam’s 'Doi moi' (Renewal).

First Vice Chairman of the Russia - Vietnam Friendship Association Piotr Tsvetov, who used to work with Vu Khoan for many years, has shared his unforgettable memories of the former Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam who passed away recently.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, he offered his sympathies on the death of Khoan to the bereaved family and the Vietnamese people.

He recalled in the 1980s, the prime period of relations between the Soviet Union and Vietnam, he used to meet Khoan many times, who was then Minister Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow, when the latter often came to the International Department of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Central Committee to prepare for working visits by leaders of Vietnam.

Tsvetov said Khoan grasped the direction of bilateral ties and confidently and effectively handled issues emerging.

While working at the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow, Khoan used to work as an interpreter for Vietnamese Party General Secretary Le Duan and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pham Van Dong at their meetings with Party and State leaders of the Soviet Union. Earlier, he had also interpreted for President Ho Chi Minh during the leader’s exchanges with people of the Soviet Union.

It could be said that Khoan made important contributions to the friendship between the Soviet Union and Vietnam, Tsvetov went on.

Later, Tsvetov also had more occasions to meet Khoan when he worked in Vietnam as a reporter of the Pravda (Truth) newspaper.

He held that Vietnamese leaders were right when assigning Khoan with the task of promoting Vietnam’s integration into the world.

In an article published on the “Asia and Africa today” magazine, the First Vice Chairman of the Russia - Vietnam Friendship Association used to call Vu Khoan an “architecture” of Vietnam’s “Doi moi” (Renewal) who were knowledgeable about the issue.

With his diplomatic capacity, Khoan helped Vietnam establish its stature, enter the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and then sign a bilateral trade agreement with the US, which were events creating favourable conditions for Vietnam to develop, according to Tsvetov.

Vu Khoan, born on October 7, 1937, passed away on June 21 after a period of illness.

He was a member of the Party Central Committee in the 7th, 8th, and 9th tenures, Secretary of the Party Central Committee in the 9th tenure, a deputy of the National Assembly in the 11th tenure, and Deputy Prime Minister from August 2002 to June 2006.

During his political career, he held various positions, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990), Minister of Trade (2000), Deputy Prime Minister in charge of foreign economic relations and Chairman of the National Committee on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation – APEC (2002).