Singapore - Singapore's leaders praised former Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet for opening his country's economy to the world and liberalizing trade and investments.

Kiet, 85, died of acute pneumonia on Wednesday in a hospital in the city-state. His remains were returned to Ho Chi Minh City.

Under Kiet's leadership, "Vietnam undertook several major initiatives ... notably joining ASEAN in 1995 and participating in the establishment of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) the following year as a founding member," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a condolence message to his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung.

The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) also includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said Kiet was a statesman who showed vision and determination when he successfully opened up Vietnam to the global economy.

Goh, Singapore's former prime minister, said Kiet was a rigorous advocate of economic reforms that were introduced in the late 1980s and which set the communist country on the path to a more market-oriented system.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Kiet provided vision and leadership during a period of great transition in Vietnam in the 1990s.

"Mr Kiet will be missed by all," said Lee, Singapore's independence leader. (dpa)