Thunderous Welcome: Vietnam Unleashes 21 Artillery Rounds in Honor of Laos’ General Secretary and President
Welcoming Ceremony for Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith
On September 10, a grand welcoming ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace in honor of Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith and his wife Naly Sisoulith. The ceremony was chaired by General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly.
Several high-ranking officials attended the ceremony, including Politburo member Luong Cuong, Secretary of the Party Central Committee Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son, and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong.
Ambassadors and representatives from ASEAN embassies in Vietnam also attended the ceremony, demonstrating the strong diplomatic ties between the two nations.
As the motorcade carrying the Lao General Secretary, President, his wife, and delegation entered the Presidential Palace, they were warmly welcomed by General Secretary, President To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly. Two students presented fresh bouquets of flowers to the Lao General Secretary and President and his wife.
General Secretary and President To Lam invited General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith to walk on the red carpet and onto the podium. At exactly 9:40 a.m., the national anthems of Laos and Vietnam were played, accompanied by a 21-gun salute from Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
The cannon salute is the highest welcome ceremony for the State visit of the General Secretary and President of Laos to Vietnam.
After the ceremony, the two leaders reviewed the Vietnam People’s Army Honor Guard and introduced the high-ranking delegations of the two countries attending the welcoming ceremony.
At the end of the official welcoming ceremony, the two leaders returned to the podium and witnessed the welcoming parade of the Vietnam People’s Army Honor Guard.
General Secretary and President To Lam and General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith then walked from the Presidential Palace to the Party Central Committee headquarters to hold talks.
Along Hung Vuong Street, Vietnamese and Lao flags were decorated, and Hanoi people held national flags and shouted “Long live Vietnam-Laos!” and “Vietnam-Laos samaki!” to welcome the two leaders.
During their 4-day visit (September 10-13), the Lao General Secretary and President and his wife will engage in various activities, including meetings with Vietnamese leaders and former leaders, former Vietnamese military experts who have helped Laos, and Lao students studying in Vietnam.
They will also visit several localities, economic establishments, historical and cultural relics of Vietnam.
The visit of the Lao General Secretary, President, and his wife took place in the context of the two Parties, States, and peoples celebrating the 47th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the 49th anniversary of the founding of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and the 79th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.