General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong welcomes General Secretary and President Xi Jinping.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presided over the welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping's state visit to Vietnam on December 12-13.

• The motorcade escorting the Chinese President travels to the Presidential Palace.

  

  The motorcade escorting President Xi Jinping and his wife crosses the Tran Duy Hung - Nguyen Chi Thanh overpass. Photo: Luong Dung.

  

  The motorcade escorting President Xi Jinping and his wife travels along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. Photo: Gia Chinh.

• The Honor Guard of the Vietnam People's Army enters the Presidential Palace.

  

  Soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army honor guard, carrying flags and rifles, march into the Presidential Palace to serve at the welcoming ceremony. Photo: Giang Huy

  The welcoming ceremony will take place this afternoon at the Presidential Palace, with the most solemn protocols. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived at Noi Bai Airport at 12 noon today, beginning their state visit to Vietnam.

  

  The scene at the Presidential Palace before the welcoming ceremony on the afternoon of December 12. Photo: Giang Huy

  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived at the airport to welcome President Xi Jinping. Also participating in the welcoming ceremony at the airport were Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission Phan Dinh Trac, Head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Le Hoai Trung, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Head of the Presidential Office Le Khanh Hai, and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh.

  

  Children holding Vietnamese and Chinese flags gather on the steps of the Presidential Palace. Photo: Giang Huy

  This is Xi Jinping's third visit to Vietnam in his capacity as General Secretary and President of China. This visit is considered a very important opportunity for the top leaders of the two Parties to maintain and strengthen strategic exchanges in the new situation.

  

  General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived at Noi Bai Airport at noon on December 12. Photo: Ngoc Thanh.

  The delegation also included Mr. Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo , Secretary of the Secretariat, and Chief of the Central Office; Mr. Wang Yi, Member of the Politburo, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, and Minister of Foreign Affairs; and other high-ranking Chinese officials.

  During the visit, the two sides are expected to sign dozens of important cooperation documents in areas such as Party-to-Party cooperation, defense and security, cooperation between relevant agencies and localities, justice, media, strategic development connectivity, trade and economy, investment, digital economy, green development, agricultural product import and export, irrigation, and maritime cooperation.

  

  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomes General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping at Noi Bai Airport. Photo: Nhat Bac.

  Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said that the documents expected to be signed will create an important basis for agencies, localities, people, and businesses of the two countries to implement more effective cooperation in the future. He also expressed his hope that Vietnam-China relations will reach a "new level," with many substantive results from President Xi Jinping's visit.

  Vnexpress.net