At noon on December 12 local time, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi on the special plane and began his state visit to Viet Nam at the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong and President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Vo Van Thuong.

At the Noi Bai International Airport, more than 400 people from across the sectors of China and Viet Nam holding flags of the two parties and countries awaited with excitement. Red banners shone brightly, welcoming the visit of General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his wife to Viet Nam.

Upon his arrival on the special plane, General Secretary and President Xi Jinping was warmly greeted at the airstair by party and state leaders of Viet Nam including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Secretariat, and Chairman of the Commission for Internal Affairs of the CPV Central Committee Phan Dinh Trac, and Secretary of the Secretariat and Chairman of the Commission for External Relations of the CPV Central Committee Le Hoai Trung and local representatives. Young Vietnamese presented bouquets to General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan. Guards of honor lined the red carpet. The crowd welcomed General Secretary and President Xi Jinping with joy in a warm and cordial atmosphere.

General Secretary and President Xi Jinping issued a written address, extending sincere greetings and best wishes on behalf of the CPC and the Chinese government and people to the brotherly CPV and the Vietnamese government and people. General Secretary and President Xi Jinping pointed out that Viet Nam is an important country of Asia and an important member of ASEAN. In recent years, under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamese people have been actively exploring a development path suited to the country’s national conditions, and advancing the cause of Doi Moi on all fronts. Viet Nam’s regional and international standing has been rising steadily. Connected by mountains and rivers, China and Viet Nam enjoy time-honored traditional friendship. The friendship forged and nurtured by the older-generation leaders is a valuable asset for both the Chinese and Vietnamese peoples. China places priority on its relations with Viet Nam in its neighborhood diplomacy. General Secretary and President Xi Jinping expressed his hope that the visit will be an opportunity to have in-depth exchange of views with Vietnamese leaders on overarching and strategic issues that bear on the direction of the relationship between the two parties and countries as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest, and to bring the bilateral relationship to a new stage.

Madame Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Xiaohong, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Public Security, and other officials accompanying General Secretary and President Xi Jinping arrived on the same plane.

Chinese ambassador to Viet Nam Xiong Bo also came to the airport to receive the delegation.

On the way from the airport to the hotel, General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s motorcade passed flags of the two parties and countries flanking the streets and red banners celebrating the long-lasting friendship between China and Viet Nam and the growing bonds of camaraderie plus brotherhood. Many people gathered along the streets waving flags of the two countries and welcoming General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s visit with great enthusiasm.