Vietnam has expressed deep sympathies to China at huge losses caused by an earthquake in China's southwestern Sichuan Province, Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday.

"We are shocked at the news that the earthquake in Sichuan has caused great losses to China, killing and leaving missing thousands of people, directly impacting millions of residents," spokesman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Dung said, while answering questions on Vietnam's reaction to the earthquake's losses.

He also expressed condolences to the Communist Party, State and people of China and families of the earthquake's victims.

We believe that the Chinese people will rapidly overcome the earthquake's aftermath, and soon recover production and stabilize life, he noted.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh, State President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong have sent condolence messages to their Chinese counterparts over big losses caused by the earthquake.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, rocked southwest China Monday afternoon, killing at least 10,000 people.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)