Vietnam’s Party chief, State President To Lam to visit China next week

The visit is scheduled at the invitation of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his spouse.

The four-day trip comes shortly after Vietnam’s law-making National Assembly elected General Secretary Lam to concurrently serve as state president on April 7.

Following the appointment, Xi extended congratulations to Lam and reaffirmed the importance China attaches to relations with Vietnam.

He expressed readiness to continue strategic communication with Lam and to advance the ‘Vietnam–China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance,’ thereby strengthening socialism in each country, bringing greater benefits to their people, and contributing to regional and global peace and stability.

The trip takes place as bilateral ties have maintained a positive trajectory in recent years, with cooperation expanding across multiple areas.

In 2025, the two countries marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, with high-level exchanges intensifying and visits by senior leaders taking place at an unprecedented frequency.

Since the beginning of 2026, both sides have continued regular high-level contacts through flexible formats, including exchanges of congratulatory messages marking the 76th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

China remained Vietnam’s largest trading partner in 2025, while Vietnam was China’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and its fourth-largest globally by country.

Two-way trade reached US$256.4 billion last year, up 24.8 percent year on year.

In the first two months of 2026, China continued to top Vietnam’s trading partners, with bilateral trade totaling $66.7 billion.

China is also a major investor in Vietnam, with its registered capital reaching $5.96 billion in 2025, up 33.4 percent from a year earlier, ranking second among foreign investors.

In January–February, it ranked third, with registered capital of $807.46 million.

Tourism also saw strong growth, with Vietnam welcoming 5.28 million Chinese visitors in 2025, up 41.3 percent from the previous year, accounting for 25 percent of the Southeast Asian country's total international arrivals and making China its largest source market.