General Secretary and President To Lam begins State visit to Ireland

On the morning of October 2 (Hanoi time), General Secretary and President To Lam and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived in Dublin to begin a state visit to Ireland.

Vietnamese Embassy staff and students welcome General Secretary and President To Lam. (Photo: Tri Dung/VNA)

After successfully concluding his State visit to Mongolia, on the evening of October 1, General Secretary and President To Lam and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left Genghis Khan Airport in Ulan Bator for a State visit to Ireland from October 1-3, 2024, at the invitation of Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

The delegation included comrades: Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Politburo member, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee; Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chief of the Party Central Committee Office; Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Party Central Committee's External Relations Commission; Bui Thanh Son, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mai Van Chinh, Party Central Committee member, Head of the Party Central Committee's Mass Mobilization Commission; Le Khanh Hai, Party Central Committee member, Head of the President's Office; Nguyen Thuy Anh, Party Central Committee member, Head of the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee; Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Party Central Committee member, Minister of Home Affairs; Le Minh Hoan, Party Central Committee member, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Nguyen Van Hung, Party Central Committee member, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Nguyen Van Thang, Party Central Committee member, Minister of Transport; Dao Hong Lan, Party Central Committee member, Minister of Health; Nguyen Hai Ninh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Justice; Pham Hoai Nam, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of National Defense; To An Xo, Assistant to the General Secretary; Head of the General Secretary's Office; Do Minh Hung, Ambassador of Vietnam to Ireland.

According to the special correspondent of VNA, at exactly 8:30 p.m. on October 1, local time (ie 2:30 a.m. on October 2, Hanoi time), the special plane carrying General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation landed at Dublin airport, the capital of Dublin, to begin a state visit to Ireland.

Welcoming General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at Dublin airport were: Minister of Agriculture, Food and Marine Affairs Pippa Hackett; Director of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eamonn McKee; Mayor of Fingal, Dublin Brian McDonagh; Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Deirde Ní Fhallúin; Vietnamese Ambassador to Ireland Do Minh Hung and his wife; and a number of officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland.

This is the first state visit since the two sides established diplomatic relations in 1996.

Ireland is a nation that shares many similarities with Vietnam in terms of history, patriotic traditions, will to rise up, and diverse and unique culture. The two sides have much room and potential to enhance cooperation and develop together.

The two sides' senior leaders will discuss measures to promote extensive cooperation in many areas where Vietnam has demand and Ireland has strengths, such as high-quality investment, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, energy transformation, education and training, especially higher education./.

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