President Võ Văn Thưởng (left) and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. review the guards of honour at an official welcome ceremony in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng on Tuesday hosts a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace for Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. in Hà Nội on Tuesday morning, as the latter was on a two-day State visit to the country.

The convoy escort transported President leader and spouse Louise Araneta Marcos to the Presidential Palace, where President Thưởng and spouse Phan Thị Thanh Tâm welcomed and greeted them.

After the 21-gun salute, the two leaders reviewed the guards of honour of the Vietnamese People's Army.

The two presidents then greeted the members of the high-level delegations from both countries participating in the reception.

21-gun salute for the Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

This is the first visit of Philippine President Marcos Jr to Việt Nam since taking office in June 2022.

The visit aims to reaffirm the strong strategic partnership between the two countries, enhance political trust at the highest levels, and generate momentum to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields, on the eve of significant milestones in the bilateral relationship, including the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2025 and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026.

President Võ Văn Thưởng greets Philippine counterpart Marcos Jr. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

The Philippine President was welcomed by children of Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

Việt Nam and the Philippines officially established diplomatic relations on July 12, 1976. Over the years, the friendly and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries has significantly developed and deepened, especially since the establishment of the strategic partnership in November 2015.

In recent years, economic cooperation has been a bright spot in the relationship between the two countries. The Philippines is currently the leading rice consumer market for Việt Nam, with the rice export volume to the Philippines reaching 3.1 million tons (worth about US$1.75 billion) in 2023, accounting for over 38 per cent of the country's total rice exports.

Following the solemn welcome ceremony, the two leaders, leading their respective delegations, engaged in discussions to assess the results of the cooperation between the two countries in the past and outline the direction of future cooperation.

A view of the ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng (right) and spouse together with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his spouse at the Presidential Palace before their talks. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất