Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang Dies at 61

The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Tran Dai Quang, has passed away at the age of 61, according to Vietnamese state media.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang succumbed to a serious illness and died Friday morning, Reuters reports, citing Vietnamese state TV.

Tran Dai Quang had been in office since April 2, 2016; he was nominated by his predecessor Trương Tấn Sang and elected to the post by the National Assembly of Vietnam.

He had previously served as the country's Minister of Public Security and as Vice Head of the Committee on HIV/AIDS Prevention.

Vietnam state TV reported that the president had died of a “serious illness despite efforts by domestic and international doctors and professors," according to Reuters. He passed away at the 108th Central Military Hospital at 10:05 am local time (3:05 am GMT), Vietnam News Agency reported.

Condolences Over Death of Vietnamese President

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to the Vietnamese people, family and friends of deceased Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, the Kremlin press service said on Friday.

The Russian Embassy in Hanoi on Friday conveyed condolences to Vietnam over the death of President Tran Dai Quang.

"We express our deepest condolences over the passing away of the president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, comrade Tran Dai Quang," the embassy wrote on Twitter.