Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc conveyed their condolences to Indonesian President Joko Widodo on December 23, over the massive material and human losses caused by the deadly tsunami that devastated Indonesia’s Banten and Lampung provinces on December 22.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan also extended her condolences to Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia Zulkifli Hasan.

The Vietnamese leaders expressed their deep condolences to the Indonesian leaders over the great losses caused by the natural disaster which happened only three months after the quake and tsunami in Sulawesi province.

They also expressed the Vietnamese people’s solidarity and readiness to help ease the Indonesian people’s difficulties, saying they hope the Indonesian people would quickly overcome the consequences of the disaster and normalise their lives.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also sent his condolences to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

According to local authorities, as of December 23, the tsunami following a volcanic eruption claimed over 220 lives and wounded 800 others. Initial estimates showed that roughly 430 houses were destroyed.

VNF/VNA