By Serdar Dincel
ISTANBUL (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday flew to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi to pay tribute to the deceased chief of Vietnamese Communist Party.
Blinken visited the house of Nguyen Phu Trong to offer condolences to his family.
Nguyen, 80, died on July 19 after leading the Southeast Asian nation’s ruling party for 13 years.
Blinken also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Blinken and Chinh “welcomed the progress the United States and Vietnam have made together in implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that the General Secretary and President Biden announced in September 2023," Miller said.
He noted Blinken's reaffirmation of Washington's "commitment to work with Hanoi to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region and support a strong, independent, prosperous, and resilient Vietnam."