A view of the welcome ceremony for Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm in Paris on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

PARIS — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and the high-ranking delegation of Việt Nam started an official visit to France from October 7 morning (local time) at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

A red-carpet welcome ceremony was held for him according to national protocol at the Invalides Palace in Paris the same day, which was presided over by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.

Following the ceremony, Lâm is scheduled to have meetings with the President of the French National Assembly, the National Secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF), and representatives from the France-Việt Nam Friendship Association.

He will hold talks with his host and witness the exchange of cooperation agreements between the two countries, visit the headquarters of UNESCO and have a working session with its Director-General, and meet with the President of the French Senate.

The leader’s visit is taking place as the relationship between Việt Nam and France has been growing positively over the past time. It is to demonstrate the great importance the Vietnamese Party and State attach to the Việt Nam-France strategic partnership and to make bilateral ties more profound and practical. — VNS

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm is welcomed by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng