American expert praises late Party chief's contributions to Vietnam-US relations

The article said that Trong was the first Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) leader to visit the US in July 2015, meeting then President Barack Obama and then Vice President Joe Biden. He later met President Donald Trump during the 2019 DPRK-US Summit in Hanoi.

James Rhodes, a former Fulbright specialist, witnessed firsthand the late Vietnamese leader's progressive policies, including those related to education. As a result, thousands of Vietnamese scholars and intellectuals came to the US to further their educational pursuits. He emphasised that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a great friend of the US. 

Rhodes said the late leader’s philosophy can be summed up by an article he wrote in May 2022: "we need a society in which development is trully for people, not for profit that exploits and tramples on human dignity. We need economic development coupled with progress and social justice".

Regarding the recent election of To Lam as Party General Secretary, the American expert expressed confidence that the new leader will inherit and promote the legacies of his predecessor. He cited US media as describing that To Lam is intellectual and interested in strengthening cooperation with the US.

He noted that Vietnam plays a crucial role in the US policy in the Indo-Pacific region, with diplomatic relations established on July 11, 1995 under the administration of President Bill Clinton.