Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 13:51 GMT+7

Vietnam's Party General Secretary, State President To Lam receives grand state welcome in China

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and his spouse hosted an official welcome ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday morning for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam and his spouse, who are paying a state visit there.

According to a report by China Central Television, President Xi and his spouse welcomed the Vietnamese leader and his spouse at their motorcade’s arrival point.

The two leaders exchanged handshakes and smiles before proceeding to the ceremonial podium.

The ceremony was held with the highest protocol reserved for heads of state at the Great Hall of the People, with a 21-gun salute.

Chinese President Xi then invited Vietnam’s Party chief and State President Lam to review the honor guard of the People’s Liberation Army.

The two leaders walked past rows of uniformed soldiers and a military band, waving to children holding flags and flowers.

The ceremony concluded with a formal parade by the honor guard.

Following the ceremony, both leaders and their spouses entered the Great Hall of the People, where they paused for an official group photograph in front of the national and Party flags of the two countries.

Landmark visit in Vietnam-China relations

Party chief and State President Lam is leading a high-level Vietnamese delegation on a four-day state visit to China through Friday at the invitation of President Xi and his spouse.

On the first day of the trip, or Tuesday, the Vietnamese leader had a meeting with Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning in Beijing.

He also visited the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei Province and delivered a speech at Tsinghua University.

On the same day, he and his spouse met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in China.

At the meeting with overseas Vietnamese, he emphasized that alongside high-level meetings with Chinese leaders, the visit would include key engagements between the two countries’ Politburos, ministries, departments, and local authorities in a bid to advance comprehensive and effective cooperation across multiple fields.

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh described the visit as carrying historic significance, calling it ‘the most important bilateral diplomatic activity between the two Parties and countries in 2026.’

In recent years, Vietnam-China relations have maintained positive momentum.

Political trust has been reinforced, continuing to guide the overall direction of bilateral ties.

Cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and security has produced tangible results, notably the first ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue among their foreign, defense, and public security ministries, known as the ‘3+3 Dialogue,’ in Hanoi in mid-March.

Partnership in economic, trade, and investment activities remains a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship.

Vietnam has been China’s largest trading partner within ASEAN for 10 consecutive years and ranked as China’s fourth-largest trading partner globally in 2024 and 2025.

People-to-people exchanges and collaboration in education, culture, tourism, and local partnerships have also flourished.

In 2025, Vietnam welcomed 5.28 million Chinese visitors, a 41.3-percent year-on-year increase, making China Vietnam’s largest tourist source market.