President Tô Lâm receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

HÀ NỘI — President Tô Lâm hosted a reception for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Hà Nội on Saturday. The US official had just arrived in Hà Nội to pay tribute to Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, who passed away on July 19 at the age of 80. 

During the reception, Secretary Blinken conveyed a condolence letter from President Joe Biden to President Tô Lâm, expressing his sorrow over the passing of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. In his letter, President Biden recalled the profound memories and impressions from his first meeting with the General Secretary in Washington, DC, in 2015, and took pride in standing alongside him during his visit to Hà Nội last year, which marked a new era of cooperation between the two countries.

President Biden emphasised that the event was a testament to the shared aspirations of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity for all, and that it also reflected General Secretary Trọng's determination to elevate bilateral relations to the highest level, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The US President affirmed that the United States will never forget his leadership and fully supports a strong, resilient, and independent Việt Nam to which General Secretary Trọng dedicated his life. 

"The poet Nguyen Du wrote:"Thank Heaven we are here to day to see the sun through parting fog and clouds." General Secretary Trọng played an indispensable role in parting the clouds over the 50-year arc of progress between our nations. We will honor his memory by carrying on his legacy and continuing our important work," the US President wrote in his letter.

Secretary Blinken personally expressed his sorrow over the loss of a visionary leader and valued General Secretary Trọng's contributions to strengthening and fostering Việt Nam-US relations and the friendship between the two peoples.

President Tô Lâm conveyed his heartfelt thanks to President Biden for his kind sentiments and deep condolences over the passing of General Secretary Trọng, as well as to Secretary Blinken for travelling to Việt Nam to offer condolences to the General Secretary’s family during this sorrowful time.

President Tô Lâm shared that during his lifetime, General Secretary Trọng highly valued developing relations with the US and often spoke fondly of President Biden. The historic visit to the US in 2015 by General Secretary Trọng 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 US values its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Việt Nam and looks forward to further deepening this important bilateral relationship. He expressed confidence that both sides will continue to uphold and nurture Việt Nam-US relations, strengthening the friendship between the two peoples according to General Secretary Trọng’s wishes.

The US Secretary of State noted that the passing of General Secretary Trọng is a great loss for bilateral relations, and he affirmed that the US government and people would always remember and honour General Secretary Trọng’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 Tô Lâm and Secretary Blinken expressed their pleasure at the positive developments in bilateral relations in recent times across various fields, including politics-diplomacy, economy-trade-investment, security-defence, and war legacy remediation.

President Tô Lâm reaffirmed that Việt Nam considers the US a top strategic partner and welcomes the US’s continued commitment to supporting a “strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous” Việt Nam. He expressed the desire to closely coordinate in fulfilling the commitments of General Secretary Trọng and President Biden to deepen and stabilise the new framework of relations.

Secretary Blinken thanked President Tô Lâm for his support of the good Việt Nam-US partnership and stressed that the US regards Việt Nam as a top partner in the region. He affirmed the US’s commitment to working with Việt Nam to further strengthen 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-US Partnership, ASEAN, APEC, and the United Nations, for the common peace, stability, and prosperity of the region and the world. VNS

President Tô Lâm receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

President Tô Lâm receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh