Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong and his spouse chaired a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on Monday morning for King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who are paying a state visit to Vietnam through Friday.

After receiving flowers from children in Hanoi, the leaders of the two nations moved to the platform of honor. 

As part of the welcome ceremony, State President Cuong and King Philippe reviewed the guard of honor, and introduced the officials of the two nations.

After the ceremony, the state leader of Vietnam held talks with King Philippe.

This is the first time that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have paid a state visit to Vietnam.

However, this is not their first Vietnam visit.

King Philippe visited the Southeast Asian nation in 1994, 2008, and 2012 when he was the prince of Belgium, while his wife made visits to Vietnam in 2003 and 2012.

She returned to Vietnam in 2023 as the honorary president of UNICEF Belgium.

During their Vietnam visit, the king and queen are being accompanied by multiple Belgian officials, 30 leaders of Belgian firms, and the presidents of 12 universities.

Many memoranda of understanding will be signed between Vietnamese and Belgian universities, strengthening educational cooperation between the two nations, according to Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van den Bossche.

During the visit, Belgium will introduce multiple technological solutions for decontaminating soil polluted by Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Some Belgian projects related to the field will be announced during the visit.

The King and Queen of Belgium are scheduled to meet with high-ranking Vietnamese officials in Hanoi and visit the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

There, they will view an exhibition on the consequences of Agent Orange and meet with Vietnamese victims affected by it.

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