Phan, Văn Khải, 1933-2018

Phan Văn Khải (Vietnamese: [faːn˧˧ van˧˧ xaːj˧˩] ; 25 December 1933 – 17 March 2018) was a Vietnamese politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Vietnam from 25 September 1997 until his resignation on 27 June 2006. He was considered to be a technocratic, innovative and benevolent leader. He was born in the countryside of Củ Chi, Ho Chi Minh City, in a family with a tradition of patriotism and fighting foreign invaders. Khải had a patriotic heart from a very early age and worked through two wars against France and the United States. Phan Văn Khải took office as prime minister on 25 September 1997. Following the path of his predecessor Võ Văn Kiệt, Khải promoted extensive international integration and led Vietnam to overcome the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He had a high level of expertise in economic management and was more open-minded than his predecessors and supported Vietnam's accession to the WTO. Due to failure to resolve the corruption situation, on 27 June 2006, Khải, together with President Trần Đức Lương and Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyễn Văn An, voluntarily submitted a resignation letter before finishing their term.