International officials pay tribute to Vietnamese Party chief

President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis pays tribute to Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. VNA/VNS Photo Quang Huy

NEW YORK The Permanent Mission of Việt Nam to the United Nations (UN) welcomed nearly 100 delegations during the two days of national mourning to pay their respects, wrote in the condolence book and express sorrow and gratitude for Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng at its headquarters in New York on July 25 and 26.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis were among those who came to pay tribute to the later Party leader.

Ambassadors, chargé d’affaires from various countries’ missions to the UN, the Chairman of the Communist Party USA, representatives from American leftist movements, New York City officials, members of the Vietnamese community, and Vietnamese students in New York and surrounding areas also paid homage to the Party General Secretary.

The Vietnamese mission also received numerous letters and messages of condolences from diplomatic corps, partners and friends in the host country.

Coming to the Vietnamese Embassy in Buenos Aires on July 26 to pay respects to the Party chief, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina Jorge Kreyness pledged to strengthen solidarity and cooperation between the two communist parties and expressed further support for collaboration between the Argentine and Vietnamese governments.

On the same day, representatives from the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassadors of Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Morocco, and representatives of the Embassies of Russia, the State of Palestine, Finland, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, along with members of the ASEAN–Mercosur Chamber of Commerce and the Vietnamese community, continued to pay tribute and wrote in the condolence book for the Party General Secretary. 

Talking with the Việt Nam News Agency’s correspondents in Buenos Aires, Argentine scholar and journalist Gaston Fiorda praised General Secretary Trọng as a great leader and an outstanding theorist not only in Việt Nam but also in Southeast Asia, saying that he has left a valuable legacy in Việt Nam’s development and progress and his contributions to the national liberation and development will be remembered forever.

Fiorda also highlighted the Party chief’s significant contributions to bringing Việt Nam into harmony with other nations and promoting peace and balance of geostrategic forces. He specifically noted the “Vietnamese bamboo diplomacy” approach shaped by the Party leader, which underlines flexibility and resilience in international relations.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Industry Cooperation Committee, Xu Ningning, lauded Party Chief Trọng for his substantial contributions to Việt Nam’s economic development and friendly relations between the Chinese and Vietnamese Parties and the two countries. 

Serving as the Executive President of the China-ASEAN Business Council, Executive Director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’Asia-Pacific Centre for China Foundation for International Studies, Xu said under General Secretary Trọng’s leadership, Việt Nam’s economic growth rate is now among the highest in the world, particularly in ASEAN.

He predicted that Việt Nam would achieve the highest economic growth in ASEAN this year, noting that Chinese investment in Việt Nam surged by over 77 per cent year on year in 2023, with China ranking in the top foreign investors in terms of new foreign investment projects in Việt Nam in the first half of 2024.

Xu hoped that the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership would further grow, which would be a concrete manifestation of inheriting the General Secretary’s legacy. 

On July 27 (Việt Nam time), the White House announced that a US delegation led by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken would arrive in Hà Nội on July 28 to pay tribute to the late Vietnamese leader.

He will be accompanied by US Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc E. Knapper and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink.

On July 24-26, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US welcomed over 100 delegations who came to pay respects and wrote in the condolence book for Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. They included representatives of diplomatic corps, international organisations, business associations and major groups and the overseas Vietnamese community.

Notable attendees included US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who came on behalf of US President Joe Biden, and Assistant Secretary of State Kritenbrink.

On the occasion, the US media widely covered the General Secretary’s career, his “bamboo diplomacy” thought and contributions to the bilateral ties. VNS