General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presided over the state welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President Xi Jinping

From early morning, outside the Presidential Palace, many people were waiting to welcome General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping. People waved the national flags of both countries and warmly welcomed Xi Jinping as the Red Flag car carrying the Chinese leader passed by.

On the afternoon of December 12, the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife was solemnly held at the Presidential Palace according to the highest protocol for welcoming heads of state. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife presided over the welcoming ceremony.

Attending the welcoming ceremony were comrades: Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, Permanent member of the Secretariat, Head of the Central Organization Commission; Phan Dinh Trac, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission; Tran Thanh Man, Politburo member, Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly; General To Lam, Politburo member, Minister of Public Security; General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Minister of National Defense; Le Minh Hung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chief of the Central Office; Do Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department; Le Minh Khai, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister; Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central External Relations Commission; Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice President; Bui Thanh Son, member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs... along with many comrades of the Party Central Committee, leaders of ministries, departments, branches, central agencies and Hanoi city, the Office of the General Secretary.

Joining the Chinese delegation, in addition to Professor Peng Liyuan, wife of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, were many high-ranking officials of the Communist Party of China.

Among them are Politburo Standing Committee member, Secretary of the Secretariat Cai Qi, concurrently Chief of the Central Office, and Politburo member, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi.

The delegation also included Party Central Committee member and head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Liu Jianchao, Director of the Central Policy Research Office Jiang Jinquan, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission Cheng Sanjie, Secretary of the Secretariat, State Councilor, Deputy Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, and Party Central Committee member and Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.

Party Central Committee member, Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Liu Ning, Party Central Committee member, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yunnan Province Wang Ning, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo and his wife were also in the delegation.

Also present were Director of the International Development Cooperation Department Luo Zhaohui, Major General Li Bin, Director of the Central Office for International Military Cooperation, and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong.

After the solemn state welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping returned to the Party Central Committee headquarters for talks.

The two leaders will review and listen to the introduction of the signed documents, then attend a tea party. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will host a state banquet for General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping on the evening of December 12.

The visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife took place on December 12 and 13 at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife, and President Vo Van Thuong and his wife.

The event is expected to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, open up many opportunities for practical cooperation and enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership after 15 years of establishment.