Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sent a message of condolence to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong over Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang's death on Friday.

Tran Dai Quang died aged 61 on Friday morning at a military hospital in Hanoi.

President Xi extended his deepest condolences to Quang's relatives.

Tran Dai Quang was an outstanding party and state leader of Vietnam, who made significant contributions to his country's development, reform and opening up, Xi said in the message.

Quang, as a close friend of the Chinese people, was committed to inheriting and promoting the traditional China-Vietnam friendship and actively promoting the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, the Chinese president said.

Xi believes that the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese government and its people will turn grief into strength and continue to achieve new achievements under the leadership of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

In April 2016, the National Assembly of Vietnam, the country's top legislature, elected Quang as the Vietnamese president. Before that, he served as the Minister of Public Security.