U.S. President Barack Obama has arrived in Hanoi on his Air Force One at 9:30 pm Sunday, ready to begin his three-day visit to Vietnam.

The arrival comes a little earlier than the previous schedule announced on Friday by the White House, which said the U.S. president was expected to arrive at first light on Monday.

Obama was greeted by Secretary of State John Kerry, who arrived in the Vietnamese capital a few hours earlier. Security at the JW Marriott Hotel, where the U.S. president will stay, has been tightened to the highest level.

The U.S. president quickly left the airport on a motorcade, including two of the presidential cars, The Beast.

The delegate arrived at the JW Marriott Hotel at 10:15 pm, with a number of locals greeting the U.S. president along the streets.

Kerry is expected to accompany the U.S. president in all activities until the end of the reception with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Local residents in Hanoi have been eagerly waiting for the arrival of the U.S. president. They stand outside the JW Marriott Hotel as well as the airport to wait for Obama. Locals also wait on Do Duc Duc Street, located near the hotel.

"We know that President Obama will arrive in Hanoi tonight so we are waiting here to witness the motorcade," a man named Nguyen Van Binh said.

Measures are being taken to ensure security and safety for the president at the airport and the hotel he will stay during time in Hanoi.

Two presidential cars, The Beast, are now ready at Noi Bai. The U.S. president will sit in either of the vehicle to go to the JW Marriott Hotel.

Sabers, security officers and police dog are checking streets the motorcade cars will travel through, as well as the hotel’s surroundings, for explosives.

As of 9:00 pm, all security measures are in place, ready to welcome the U.S. president. Some Vietnamese officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc and head of the State President Office Dao Viet Trung are present at the airport to wait for President Obama.

The official program in the Southeast Asian country of the U.S. president will begin with an official arrival ceremony on Monday (May 23). Obama will then have a bilateral meeting with State President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang, after which the two leaders will be having a joint press conference together.

It is anticipated that Obama will have the opportunity to interact with Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, the new chairperson of Vietnam’s lawmaking National Assembly, before being hosted at a state luncheon in the capital city.

The U.S. head of state will then have a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and later a bilateral meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Community Party of Vietnam.

On Tuesday, May 24, Obama will give a speech to the Vietnamese people, after which he will leave for Ho Chi Minh City.

His trip ends in the southern metropolis on May 25, when he travels to Japan for the G7 Summit.