US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his trip to Vietnam to offer incense in tribute to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and extend condolences to his spouse and family, handed over a letter of condolences from President Joe Biden to President To Lam on July 27 evening.
In the letter, Biden extended condolences from his wife and himself to the Party leader’s spouse Ngo Thi Man and all the people of Vietnam.
He wrote, “The people of the United States and Vietnam have a deep and important shared history. When I first met General Secretary Trong in Washington in 2015, it was clear he believed that as well. In the years that followed, we worked together to overcome the pain of the past to seize the promise of the future – not only for our people but also for people across the Indo-Pacific region. It brought me great pride to stand together during my state visit to Hanoi last year as we marked a new era of cooperation between our nations and saw some of that promise realized.
“It was a testament to our common aspirations for the world – one of greater peace and prosperity for all. But it was also a testament to General Secretary Trong’s personal commitment to raise our partnership to the highest level, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The United States will never forget his leadership. And we fully support a strong, resilient, and independent Vietnam, to which he dedicated his life.”
The US President cited the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du as writing that “Thank Heaven we are here today to see the sun through parting fog and clouds,” and affirmed that General Secretary Trong played an indispensable role in parting the clouds over the 50-year arc of progress between the two nations.
He concluded the letter by vowing that “We will honor his memory by carrying on his legacy and continuing our important work."
Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken described General Secretary Trong as a visionary leader who helped heal the wound of war and built bridges of peace and partnership between Vietnam and the United States, when he wrote in the condolence book at the late Party leader's house in Hanoi.
“He will long be remembered by the American people,” Blinken noted.
On behalf of the late leader’s family, Madam Man said she was deeply moved at the warm sentiment of the US, President Biden himself and Secretary Blinken for her husband. She expressed belief that the two nations will continue to effectively implement the Joint Leaders’ Statement dated September 2023 to further the development of bilateral ties in the interests of the two peoples.
Mrs. Man also extended sincere thanks and best regards to President Biden, his spouse and family.
