On behalf of Vietnamese Party and state leaders, President To Lam hosted a reception in Hanoi on Saturday for U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who came to Vietnam to offer condolences and pay tribute to late General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

General Secretary Trong passed away on July 19 in Hanoi at the age of 80.

At the reception, Secretary Blinken conveyed U.S. President Joe Biden’s letter of condolence on the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to President To Lam.

In the letter, President Biden reminisced about his first meeting with General Secretary Trong in Washington D.C. in 2015.

He expressed his pride in having stood side by side with the general secretary during his visit to Hanoi in 2023 where they together opened up a new era of cooperation between the two countries.

President Biden called this event a testament to the two countries' shared desire for peace and prosperity for all, saying that it also reflected General Secretary Trong's determination to elevate the bilateral relations to the highest level, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The U.S. president affirmed that Washington will never forget his leadership and fully supports a strong, resilient, and independent Vietnam to which General Secretary Trong dedicated his life.

Secretary Blinken personally expressed his sorrow over the loss of a visionary leader and valued General Secretary Trong's contributions to strengthening and fostering Vietnam-U.S. relations and the friendship between the two countries' people.

President Lam conveyed his heartfelt thanks to President Biden for his kind sentiments and deep condolences over the passing of General Secretary Trong, as well as to Secretary Blinken for traveling to Vietnam to offer condolences to the General Secretary’s family during this sorrowful time.

President To Lam shared that during his lifetime, General Secretary Trong highly valued developing relations with the U.S. and often spoke fondly of President Biden.

The historic visit to the U.S. in 2015 by General Secretary Trong provided a strong impetus for the two countries to develop vigorously and become Comprehensive Strategic Partners as they are today.

Secretary Blinken affirmed that the U.S. values its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam and looks forward to further deepening this important bilateral relationship.

He expressed confidence that both sides will continue to uphold and nurture the Vietnam-U.S. relations, strengthening the friendship between the two peoples according to General Secretary Trong’s wishes.

The U.S. diplomat noted that the passing of General Secretary Trong is a great loss for the bilateral relations, asserting that the U.S. government and people would always remember and honor General Secretary Trong’s legacy, particularly his efforts to promote reconciliation and build a future of peace, stability, and prosperity for the region and the world

On this occasion, President Lam and Secretary Blinken expressed their pleasure at the positive development in the bilateral relations in recent times across various fields, including politics-diplomacy, economy-trade-investment, security-defense, and war legacy remediation.

President Lam reaffirmed that Vietnam considers the U.S. a top strategic partner and welcomes Washington’s continued commitment to supporting a “strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous” Vietnam.

He expressed the desire to closely coordinate in fulfilling the commitments of General Secretary Trong and President Biden to deepen and stabilize the new framework of relations.

Secretary Blinken thanked President Lam for his support of the good Vietnam-U.S. partnership and stressed that the U.S. regards Vietnam as a top partner in the region.

He affirmed the U.S. commitment to working with Vietnam to further strengthen the bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in regional and international forums on shared concerns, contributing to promoting dialogue, peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world, including frameworks such as the Mekong-U.S. Partnership, ASEAN, APEC, and the United Nations, for the common peace, stability, and prosperity of the region and the world.

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