US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Vietnam on Saturday to pay his respects following the death of Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, underlining warmer ties between the countries a half-century since they fought a brutal war.
Blinken arrived in Hanoi late on Saturday after attending a regional summit in Laos and visited the family home of Trong, a Marxist-Leninist ideologue who as party chief was Vietnam’s most powerful figure for 13 years. He died last week aged 80.
Trong’s “bamboo diplomacy” trod a delicate balancing act between rival superpowers the United States and Communist neighbour China, helping to elevate Vietnam’s ties with its two biggest trade partners.
Blinken greeted Trong’s family before lighting an incense stick in front of a shrine displaying the general secretary’s photo. He then stood for a moment with his hands clasped in a show of respect.
He wrote a page-long message in a condolence book and during conversations with Trong’s family, conveyed the condolences of President Joe Biden.
Trong’s two-day state funeral, which ended on Friday, drew more than 250,000 mourners in ceremonies in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and his home in Dong Anh on the outskirts of the capital, state media reported. — Reuters
