Children of Hà Nội welcomed Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana to the ceremony hosted by Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly on September 15. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly on Tuesday morning hosted an official welcome ceremony for Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, who are on a three-day State visit to Việt Nam.

The ceremony was held at the National Assembly House in Hà Nội, with the attendance of Politburo members Nguyễn Duy Ngọc, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of its Organisation Commission; Gen. Lương Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; and Lê Hoài Trung, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm (left) and Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua reviewed the guards of honour during the welcome ceremony for the latter in Hà Nội on September 15. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

Also attending were Nguyễn Hải Ninh, member of the Party Central Committee and Chief of the Party Central Committee Office; Lê Khánh Hải, member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Office of the President; Gen. Nguyễn Tân Cương, member of the Party Central Committee and Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People's Army; Tô Ân Xô, Assistant to the General Secretary and President and Acting Head of the Office of the General Secretary; and Phạm Việt Hùng, Vietnamese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Thailand.

Ambassadors and chargé d'affaires of ASEAN countries in Việt Nam also attended the ceremony.

Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua on the podium, listening to the two countries' national anthems being played. — VNA/VNS Photo

As the motorcade carrying the Thai King and Queen arrived at the National Assembly House, General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and his spouse warmly welcomed the royal couple on the red carpet. Hà Nội children presented the King and Queen with bouquets of flowers.

Amid a welcoming military band, King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida, together with General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and his spouse, proceeded to the saluting platform.

The two leaders then took their positions on the platform as the military band played the national anthems of Thailand and Việt Nam. A 21-gun salute was fired from the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel to welcome the Thai King and Queen on their State visit to Việt Nam.

Following the national anthems, the commander of the Guard of Honour of the Việt Nam People's Army reported to the leaders and invited them to inspect the Guard of Honour.

A 21-gun salute was fired from the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel on September 15 to welcome the Thai King and Queen on their State visit to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

President Tô Lâm and King Maha Vajiralongkorn subsequently introduced members of their respective high-level delegations attending the ceremony.

Immediately after the welcome ceremony, the two leaders led their respective high-level delegations in talks.

Việt Nam and Thailand are Southeast Asian neighbours with a long-standing friendship. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1976, bilateral cooperation has expanded rapidly in both breadth and depth.

The two countries have maintained close relations and a high level of political trust between their leaders and peoples. This has provided a solid and important foundation for deepening bilateral ties at all levels and through all channels, including the State, Government, National Assembly, businesses, localities and people-to-people exchanges.

Thailand is currently Việt Nam's largest trading partner in ASEAN. It has 813 valid investment projects in Việt Nam, ranking eighth among 153 countries and territories investing in the country and second among ASEAN investors.

A view of the welcome ceremony for Thai King and Queen at the National Assembly House in Hà Nội on September 15. — VNA/VNS Photo

Thai investors mainly operate in processing and manufacturing, electricity, gas and water production and distribution, air-conditioning, real estate, and wholesale and retail.

Việt Nam has 23 valid investment projects in Thailand, mainly in trade and services, processing and manufacturing technology, and real estate.

Beyond economic ties, defence and security cooperation between the two countries has become increasingly substantive and in-depth. Tourism and people-to-people exchanges are also bright spots in bilateral relations.

The State visit by the Thai King and Queen to Việt Nam holds special significance and marks a historic milestone in the friendship and fruitful cooperation between Việt Nam and Thailand over the past 50 years. This is the first State visit by a Thai monarch to Việt Nam since the two countries formally established diplomatic ties, though Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua has visited Việt Nam twice as Crown Prince. — VNS

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly (left) with Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana on September 15. — VNA/VNS Photo

The welcome ceremony for Thai King and Queen in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo