Vietnam’s Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta on Sunday afternoon, commencing a state visit to Indonesia and an official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat until Tuesday.

The top Vietnamese official and the delegation were welcomed with a ceremonial seven-gun salute, showing that the host respected and attached importance to the visit.

The trip is made at the invitations of Indonesian President and President of the Great Indonesia Movement Party Prabowo Subianto and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

The Vietnamese delegation was greeted by Indonesia's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi, and other Indonesian officials. 

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong, Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong – Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, and diplomatic staff were also present at the welcoming ceremony.

After disembarking from the aircraft, Party chief Lam and his spouse walked along a red carpet, flanked on both sides by military personnel. 

They paused before the flags of both nations to show respect and then proceeded to shake hands with Indonesian officials and Vietnamese representatives who were there to welcome them.

This is the first visit by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Indonesia in nearly eight years, since August 2017, and also the first by a Vietnamese Party chief to the ASEAN Secretariat.

Party General Secretary To Lam (L) shakes hands with Indonesian officials. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

His visit marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Indonesia, with the latter being the first Southeast Asian country to set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995. 

Besides, the trip coincides with the 30th anniversary of Vietnam’s membership in ASEAN, a historic milestone for the country’s regional and international integration. 

The Party chief’s trip to Indonesia is expected to elevate the bilateral ties to new heights.

Moreover, with the visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, Vietnam showed its respect for the key role of the bloc in regional issues.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on X to get the latest news about Vietnam!