Singaporean President Halimah Yacob was formally welcomed by Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on Monday morning, as part of her state visit to Vietnam from Sunday through Thursday.

President Yacob and her spouse arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Sunday evening.

The visit is undetaken nearly eight months after President Phuc visited Singapore in February.

Following the welcome ceremony on Monday morning, the two leaders joined talks to discuss the two countries’ relationship.

President Phuc emphasized that the visit takes place in the context of the two countries preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership in 2023.

This is the first state-level visit to Vietnam by a foreign head of state since the 13th National Party Congress in 2021.

President Yacob expressed her pleasure to meet President Phuc again, sharing that this is her first foreign trip since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of documents and memoranda of understanding on cooperation in cybersecurity, network data and cybercrime prevention, energy, and vocational education.

President Yacob was scheduled to meet with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on Monday afternoon.

During her stay in Vietnam, she will also meet the Hanoi Party chief, visit the first Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP 1), work with leaders of northern Bac Ninh Province, and take part in some activities in Ho Chi Minh City.

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