Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and his spouse arrived in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon, kicking off their three-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse.

Welcoming President Nyusi and his wife at Noi Bai International Airport were Chairman of the Presidential Office Le Khanh Hai, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang, Vietnamese Ambassador to Mozambique Pham Hoang Kim, and several other officials.

This marks President Nyusi's first visit to Vietnam since taking office in 2005 and is also the first by a Mozambican president to the Southeast Asian nation in 17 years.

President Nyusi is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Minister of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries, and leaders from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, among other officials and advisors. 

Party General Secretary and State President Lam was scheduled to host an official welcoming ceremony for the Mozambican president.

During his visit, President Nyusi will conduct important meetings with other senior Vietnamese leaders and stop over businesses, educational and cultural establishments, and historical sites.

As Vietnam and Mozambique will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year, the working trip is aimed at strengthening cooperation in traditional areas, serving as a basis for it to expand to telecommunications, energy and minerals, fisheries, and digital transformation, according to Vietnam News Agency. 

Mozambican Ambassador to Vietnam Ilundi Dos Santos says one of the main goals of President Nyusi's visit is to promote economic relations between the two nations, which have many similarities, from climate to plants.

She acknowledges that Vietnam’s economy is developing rapidly and has high demands for energy and mineral resources, a rich supply found within Mozambique.

The diplomat looks forward to continued successful cooperation.

The ambassador recognizes Vietnams' strength in agricultural and aquatic research.

This trip is also intended to improve the quality of agricultural products and ensure food security for the Mozambican people, as the two countries have implemented several successful projects, which continue to be highly appreciated by Mozambique’s leaders. 

Santos expresses her hope that this visit will be a great success, helping promote the traditional friendship and partnership between Vietnam and Mozambique.

Nyusi is the second head of state from Africa to visit Vietnam in less than a week, following the four-day visit by Bissau-Guinean President Umaro Sissoco Embaló on September 5. 

Last year, Vietnam earned US$127 million from exports to Mozambique, ranging from rice, fertilizers, garments to farming equipment, while spending $420 million on imports from the Southeast African country, with a focus on coal and cashew nuts.

One of the bright spots in the bilateral cooperation is the success of Mozambique-based Movitel, a telecom joint venture between Vietnam’s telecom group Viettel and Mozambique’s SPI company, which was set up in 2012 with a total investment of over $600 million.

The fact that General Secretary and State President To Lam welcomed two delegations of African heads of state in such a short time, as well as in the first months of his new position, demonstrates Vietnam’s respect for and attachment to its traditional African partners.

Currently, about 200 Vietnamese are living and working in Mozambique, most of whom are managers and employees at Movitel, with the rest being medical and educational specialists, according to the Vietnam News Agency. 

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