On July 27, at the Presidential Palace, President To Lam, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who came to Vietnam to offer condolences and pay respects to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

At the meeting, Secretary Blinken conveyed President Joe Biden’s letter of condolence to President To Lam on the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. In the letter, President Biden recalled his memories and deep impressions of the first time he met the General Secretary in Washington DC in 2015 and was proud to stand with the General Secretary during his visit to Hanoi last year and together open a new era of cooperation between the two countries. President Biden emphasized that “that event is a testament to the shared desire of our two peoples for peace and prosperity for all. It is also a testament to the General Secretary’s determination to bring the two countries’ relationship to the highest level, a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The United States will not forget the General Secretary’s leadership. The United States fully supports a strong, self-reliant, and independent Vietnam to which the General Secretary has devoted his entire life. As the great poet Nguyen Du wrote: “Heaven still allows us to have this day, lifting the mist at the entrance to disperse the clouds in the sky”, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong played an indispensable role in dispelling the clouds that have sometimes covered the relationship between the two countries over the past 50 years. Let us remember the memory of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong by continuing his legacy and maintaining this important cooperative relationship”.

The US Secretary of State also expressed his condolences at the passing of a leader with strategic vision and appreciated the General Secretary's contributions to strengthening and nurturing Vietnam-US relations and the friendship between the two peoples.

President To Lam expressed his sincere thanks to President Biden for his kind sentiments and deep condolences on the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The President thanked Secretary of State Blinken for visiting Vietnam to express his condolences to the General Secretary's family at this sad time. The President shared that during his lifetime, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong attached great importance to developing relations with the US and often mentioned President Biden with many good feelings. The General Secretary's historic visit to the US in 2015 created a strong driving force to help the two countries develop strongly and become a Comprehensive Strategic Partner as they are today.

Secretary Blinken affirmed that the US attaches great importance to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam and hopes that the two sides will cooperate closely to further deepen this important bilateral relationship, and believes that the two sides will continue to promote and nurture the Vietnam-US relationship to develop further, and the friendship between the two peoples will be increasingly strengthened in accordance with the wishes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The US Secretary of State shared that the General Secretary's passing is a great loss to the relationship between the two countries, and affirmed that the US Government and people always remember and honor the legacy of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong for the relationship between the two countries, especially in promoting healing and building a future for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

On this occasion, President To Lam and Secretary of State Blinken expressed their delight at the positive developments in the bilateral relationship in recent times in all areas from politics - diplomacy, economy - trade - investment, security - defense, overcoming the consequences of war... President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam considers the US a partner of leading strategic importance to Vietnam and welcomed the US's continued commitment to supporting a "strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous" Vietnam; wishing to continue to closely coordinate to implement the commitments of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Biden to bring the new relationship framework into depth, effectiveness and stability.

Secretary Blinken thanked the President for always supporting the good Vietnam-US partnership and emphasized that the US considers Vietnam a partner of top importance in the region and affirmed that it will continue to work with Vietnam to further strengthen bilateral relations, enhance cooperation at regional and international forums, on issues of mutual concern, contribute to promoting dialogue, peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world, including frameworks such as the Mekong-US Partnership, ASEAN, APEC, the United Nations, etc., actively contributing to peace, stability and common prosperity of the region as well as the world.