National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn (R) and Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. VNA/VNS Photo

BEIJING — National Assembly (NA) President Trần Thanh Mẫn met with a delegation of Chinese friendship figures led by Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), in Beijing on October 12, as part of his official visit to China.

The Vietnamese NA leader thanked the CPAFFC, the China-Việt Nam Friendship Association and Chinese friendship figures for their deep affection for Việt Nam and their sustained contributions to Việt Nam-China relations over the years.

He stressed that bilateral relations are at their best in decades, with comprehensive and profound development, while new opportunities were emerging to make ties stronger, more substantive and more sustainable. People-to-people friendship, he noted, remained an important foundation of the relationship.

The top leagislator affirmed Việt Nam's consistent emphasis on people-to-people diplomacy and spoke highly of the special role played by the CPAFFC and the China-Việt Nam Friendship Association in connecting generations, localities, social organisations, scholars, cultural circles, businesses, young people and people from both countries.

As Việt Nam and China enter a new stage of development, NA President Mẫn expressed his hope that the CPAFFC, the China-Việt Nam Friendship Association and Vietnamese friendship organisations would continue to serve as bridges, preserving, inheriting and deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He called on friendship organisations on both sides to actively promote the effective implementation of programmes such as the Red Journey for Vietnamese youth to study and learn in China, the Việt Nam-China People's Forum and the Việt Nam-China Border People's Friendship Festival.

Particular attention, he said, should be paid to youth exchanges to help younger generations gain a full, profound and objective understanding of the traditional relationship between the two Parties and countries, as well as the precious bonds nurtured by previous generations, thereby encouraging them to cherish the values of peace, friendship and cooperation.

He suggested linking people-to-people exchanges with tangible benefits for citizens of both countries, stressing that friendship should be reflected in concrete achievements that people can see and experience.

Noting that the 2026-2027 Việt Nam-China Year of Tourism Cooperation offers numerous opportunities to promote people-to-people exchanges, he called on friendship organisations to work with relevant agencies, localities and businesses in both countries to organise more cultural and tourism activities and local-level exchanges. He encouraged stronger links between heritage sites, historical landmarks and friendship tourism routes to advance practical cooperation and deliver tangible benefits to the people.

In addition, he expressed his hope that friendship organisations, researchers, media agencies, artists and social influencers in both countries will step up exchanges and provide accurate, objective information, sharing more positive stories about the countries, their people and Việt Nam-China cooperation.

Emphasising that key leaders of the two Parties and countries consistently attach importance to and regularly discuss the role of people-to-people exchanges in ensuring the sound and stable development of bilateral relations, NA President Mẫn called on friendship figures to continue safeguarding the traditional friendship, strengthening bonds between the two peoples and opening up new avenues for cooperation, thereby helping Việt Nam-China relations develop in a stable, sustainable, long-term and effective manner.

For his part, Yang describled the meeting as evidence for the Vietnamese Party and State's deep regard for China-Việt Nam friendship.

Highlighting the special bonds of comradeship and brotherhood shared by successive generations of leaders of the two Parties and countries, Yang said these ties are a valuable asset that should be preserved and promoted.

He affirmed that the CPAFFC will continue to follow through on the important common understandings reached by the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, further consolidate the social foundations of China-Việt Nam relations, build more bridges for people-to-people exchanges, promote cooperation and cultural exchanges, and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. These efforts, he said, will help build broad consensus and contribute to the continued development of China-Việt Nam relations. — VNA/VNS