U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Vietnam to attend the state funeral of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, according to an announcement recently released by the U.S. Department of State.

The U.S. Department of State announced on Monday that Secretary Blinken will travel to Vietnam, Laos, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Mongolia from July 24 to August 3, with Vietnam being the first destination.

“In Vietnam, Secretary Blinken will attend the funeral of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and offer condolences to the people of Vietnam,” the announcement reads.

“He will further underscore the strength of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with his government counterparts in Hanoi."

Vietnam will hold a state funeral on July 25 and 26 for the Party chief, who passed away at 1:38 pm on July 19 in Hanoi at the age of 80.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will lie in state at the National Funeral Hall at No. 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street in Hanoi.

The respect-paying ceremony for Party General Secretary Trong will be held at the National Funeral Hall from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm on July 25 and from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm on July 26.

It will be followed by a memorial service at 1:00 pm on July 26.

A burial service for the Party chief will take place from 3:00 pm on the same day at Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi.

Secretary Blinken met Party General Secretary Trong in Hanoi when the former visited Vietnam in April last year.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday last week sent his deep condolences to the family of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the people of Vietnam on the loss.

He wrote, “General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was a champion of the deep ties between the American and Vietnamese people whose leadership helped nurture the friendship and partnership our countries enjoy today.

“His 2015 historic visit to the White House was a milestone in our bilateral relationship. Thanks to his vision, during my 2023 state visit to Hanoi, Vietnam and the United States became 'comprehensive strategic partners,' the highest level of partnership in the Vietnamese system.”

The people of Vietnam and the United States – and people across the Indo-Pacific region – enjoy greater security and opportunity today because of the friendship between the two countries. That is thanks to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the U.S. leader added.

Biden noted that “the United States – and I personally – will remember and appreciate his commitment to reconciliation and to building a future oriented toward peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and around the world. We honor his legacy and mourn his passing alongside the people of Vietnam.”

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