President Luong Cuong presides over the welcoming ceremony for the King of Belgium

President Luong Cuong and his wife welcome the King of Belgium Philippe and the Queen. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

On the morning of April 1, at the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong and his wife presided over the welcoming ceremony for King Philippe and Queen Mathilde on a state visit to Vietnam.

Attending the welcoming ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc; Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh; Head of the Office of the President Le Khanh Hai; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung; Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy; Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh; Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Le Huy Vinh; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang; Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Ngoc Lam; Assistant to the President Nguyen Hoang Anh; Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao.

Many children of the capital were present at the Presidential Palace waving the flags of the two countries to welcome King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and the high-ranking delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium.

This is the first State visit after more than 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, especially in the context of Vietnam entering a new era; it is an important historical milestone, bringing the relationship between the two countries into a new stage of development, with higher political trust, and more substantial and effective cooperation. On the other hand, the visit demonstrates the special affection of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde for Vietnam.

Children in Hanoi welcome the King of Belgium Philippe and the Queen. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

Previously, both the King and Queen had visited Vietnam many times in different positions and left many impressions. Although this was the first State visit to Vietnam, for the King and Queen, this was essentially a “return” to Vietnam, a land where the King and Queen had many memories and feelings during their previous visits.

The motorcade escorting the King and Queen of Belgium entered the Presidential Palace. President Luong Cuong and his wife were present on the red carpet to warmly welcome King Philippe, who led the high-ranking delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium on a state visit to Vietnam. Afterwards, children from the capital came forward to present King Philippe and Queen Mathilde with fresh bouquets of flowers.

To the sound of welcoming music, President Luong Cuong and King Philippe walked along the red carpet to the sound of children waving to step onto the podium. After listening to the national anthems of the two countries, the two heads of state left the podium, bowed to the military flag and inspected the Guard of Honor of the Vietnam People's Army. Next, President Luong Cuong and King Philippe introduced the members of the high-ranking delegations of the two countries attending the welcoming ceremony.

President Luong Cuong and King Philippe review the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People's Army. - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Vietnam and the Kingdom of Belgium officially established diplomatic relations on March 22, 1973, just two months after the Paris Agreement was signed. Vietnam always remembers the wholehearted assistance of the Belgian Government and people for the program of national reconstruction and recovery after the war.

Over the past 50 years, the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the Kingdom of Belgium has been continuously strengthened and developed well in all fields, especially politics - diplomacy, trade, agriculture, education and training, science - technology cooperation, development cooperation... at the federal, regional and community levels.

Belgium always attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam, highly values ​​Vietnam's economic development and is an international partner that actively contributes to Vietnam's success through development cooperation programs. The two sides actively coordinate in multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and within the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and ASEAN-EU.

Political and diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Belgium have developed positively, diversely and substantially at the federal, regional and community levels, as demonstrated by many high-level visits. In the field of education and training, since 2003, the Belgian Government has granted an average of 40 postgraduate scholarships to Vietnamese students each year, in areas where Belgium has strengths such as ports, environment, tourism, etc. Cultural exchange activities, exchanges of art troupes, exhibitions and film weeks are also regularly held in both Vietnam and Belgium.

President Luong Cuong and his wife welcome the King of Belgium Philippe and the Queen. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

In recent years, economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium has developed rapidly and has been increasingly strengthened. Belgium is currently Vietnam's 6th largest trading partner in the EU. Trade turnover between the two countries has increased rapidly, from 1.8 billion USD in 2013 to 4.45 billion USD in 2024. Regarding investment, as of January 2025, Belgium has 99 valid investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered investment capital of 1.06 billion USD, ranking 25th out of 149 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

With the existing good foundation of cooperation, together with the trust and political will of the leaders of the two countries and the wishes of the people of Vietnam and Belgium, the State visit of the King and Queen of Belgium to Vietnam is expected to achieve many positive results, contributing to further promoting cooperation between the two countries, bringing the Vietnam - Belgium relationship to a new chapter of development, meeting the aspirations of the people, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

After the welcoming ceremony, President Luong Cuong and King Philippe had a private meeting and then a meeting to evaluate the results of cooperation between the two countries in the past and propose future cooperation directions. The two leaders will also witness the exchange of cooperation documents./.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/chu-tich-nuoc-luong-cuong-chu-tri-le-don-nha-vua-vuong-quoc-bi-697495.html