President of Vietnam
What was the position of Trần Đại Quang in Apr 2016?
Trần Đại Quang Trần Đại Quang ( 12 October 1956 – 21 September 2018 ) was a Vietnamese politician who was the eighth President of Vietnam , in office from 2 April 2016 until his death in 2018 . Trần Đại Quang was elected to the post by the National Assembly of Vietnam , and nominated by his predecessor Trương Tấn Sang who retired from office . Trần Đại Quang was one of the countrys top leaders , along with the Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng ( the de facto leader ) . Trần Đại Quang previously served as Minister of Public Security from 2011 to 2016 , Vice Head of Committee on HIV / AIDS Prevention from 2011 to 2014 , and President of the Viet Nam Red Cross Society from 2017 to 2018 . He was a member of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam , in which he was ranked second , after General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng . Trần Đại Quang joined the Communist Party of Vietnam on 26 July 1980 and became officially party member on 26 July 1981 . And from 1997 he became a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and a member of the Central Committee of the party . At the 12th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in January 2016 Trần Đại Quang was nominated President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and confirmed on 2 April 2016 by the National Assembly of Vietnam . On that day , he succeeded Trương Tấn Sang . On the same day he proposed Nguyễn Xuân Phúc as the new head of government . He died in office on 21 September 2018 , from a viral disease , aged 61 . Early life . Trần Đại Quang was born on 12 October 1956 in Ninh Bình Province , in what was then the Democratic Republic of Vietnam . His father worked as a fish catcher in the river , while his mother worked as a banana seller . They had six children , four of them boys . Later his father died . His mother struggled to raise the children . Trần Đại Quang helped his mother in farming . He was very well known for hard work , dedication , composure and calm qualities . Honors . - Fatherland Defense Order ( 2011 ) - Military Exploit Order 1st class ( 2011 ) - Military Exploit Order 1st class ( 2015 ) - Order of José Martí ( 2016 ) - Order of National Gold ( 2017 ) - Military Exploit Order 2nd class - Military Exploit Order 3rd class - Feat Order 1st class - Feat Order 2nd class - Feat Order 3rd class - Friendship Order 1st class Personal life . Trần Đại Quang was married to Madam Nguyễn Thị Hiền , who performed ceremonial functions as the First Lady of Vietnam . Trần Đại Quang was the second son in the family of four brothers Vinh , Quang , Sáng , Tỏ , and two sisters . His youngest brother is Trần Quốc Tỏ party secretary for Thái Nguyên Province . Death . Trần Đại Quang died at the 108 Military Central Hospital on 21 September 2018 in Hanoi from complications of a viral disease at the age of 61 while in office . On 27 September , a memorial service was held in Hanoi , followed by a procession to his home town in Kim Sơn District , Ninh Binh where he was buried . The service was attended by many Vietnamese politicians and foreign dignitaries , including - Secretary General of the WFTU , George Mavrikos - Secretary General of ASEAN , Lim Jock Hoi - Vice President of the United States , Mike Pence - President of Vietnam , Nguyễn Phú Trọng and top Vietnamese politicians - Prime Minister of Cambodia , Hun Sen - Vice President of Laos , Phankham Viphavanh - Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore , Teo Chee Hean - Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia , Wan Azizah Wan Ismail - Special Envoy of the President of Indonesia , Ma’ruf Amin - Foreign Minister of Thailand , Don Pramudwinai - Member of the Politburo Standing Committee of China , Zhao Leji - Prime Minister of South Korea , Lee Nak-yeon - Minister of Justice of Japan , Yoko Kamikawa - Former President of Mozambique , Armando Guebuza - Vice President of the State Duma of Russia , Olga Epifanova - Speaker of the Council of Belarus , Mikhail Myasnikovich - Vice President of Cuba , Roberto Morales Ojeda Published works . - Cyberspace - Future and Action , 2015 - The people have the strength to protect the National Security , 2015