Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Vietnam on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, marking the Chinese top official’s fourth visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

His fourth Vietnam visit will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Vo Van Thuong, the Vietnamese Communist Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations announced last week.

This will be his third trip to Vietnam as the Chinese Party general secretary and president.

Here’s a look back at his previous Vietnam visits.

Invited by Vietnam’s then-Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan, Xi traveled to the Southeast Asian country for an official visit in December 2011. This was his first visit to Vietnam, when he was serving as China’s vice-president.

This visit took place two months after Vietnamese Party chief Trong visited China.

During his three-day stay, Xi met Party General Secretary Trong, then-State President Truong Tan Sang, then-Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and then-Chairman of the lawmaking National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung.

The Chinese vice-president’s visit was aimed at cementing Vietnam-China ties and boosting their bilateral partnership.

Within the framework of his first visit, the two nations cut eight key deals for cooperation.

The 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in November 2012 elected Xi as the general secretary of the CCP.

He was elected as president in March 2013 by the 12th National People's Congress.

Vietnam’s Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong (R, 2nd), his spouse (R), and Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping (L, 2nd), and his spouse (L) pose for a photo in November, 2015. Photo: Tuan Nguyen / Tuoi Tre

Xi made a second visit to Vietnam in November 2015 at the invitation of Vietnamese Party chief Trong and then-State President Sang. This was his first state visit to China’s neighbor after he took office as president.

During his two-day trip, the Chinese leader engaged in various talks and meetings with Vietnam’s top officials, and visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

The trip concluded with the Vietnam-China joint statement for deeper cooperation between the two Parties and states, as well as between the two nations’ ministries and departments.

Two years later, Xi returned to Vietnam for his state visit and to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, which was held in the central city of Da Nang in November 2017.

During his trip lasting from November 10 to 13, Xi held talks with Party chief Trong, and met with late State President Tran Dai Quang, then-Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and then-Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

He also sat in on a series of friendship events, and witnessed the signing of 12 cooperation agreements.

His Vietnam visit ended in success, marking an important milestone for the two nations’ relations, and strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Vietnam and China established their comprehensive strategic partnership in 2008.

Xi's fourth trip to Vietnam is scheduled to take place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

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