Official welcome ceremony held for top Vietnamese leader in New Delhi

India’s President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 6 morning co-chaired an official welcome ceremony with 21-cannon salute for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam, who is on a three-day state visit to the country.

As General Secretary and President Lam stepped onto the honour podium beneath the national flags of Vietnam and India, the two national anthems were performed by the military band.

Following the parade, President Murmu and PM Modi, and General Secretary and President Lam introduced members of their respective delegations attending the welcome ceremony.

The Indian leaders then invited the Vietnamese leader to take photographs with Indian students and people.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi stand on the honour podium. (Photo: VNA)

In recent years, bilateral relations have developed in a stable and consistent manner. Notably, the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016 marked a qualitative leap in the two countries’ ties.

At present, the two countries maintain more than 20 bilateral cooperation mechanisms across various fields and have signed numerous key agreements that provide a framework for long-term collaboration. Economic and trade cooperation has recorded strong growth, with bilateral trade reaching approximately 15 16 billion USD annually in recent years. India is now among Vietnam’s top 10 trading partners. Two-way investment continues to expand, with nearly 500 projects, while significant potential remains for further breakthroughs in cooperation.

In particular, Vietnam and India are actively broadening collaboration into emerging areas such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, clean energy, and satellite data. Cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties have also seen robust development. The two countries continue to coordinate closely and support each other at regional and international organisations and multilateral forums.

The ongoing state visit to India by the top Vietnamese leader stands as clear evidence of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era, as set out in the Resolution of the CPV’s 14th National Congress. This policy emphasises independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, and being a responsible member of the international community./.