Russian President Vladimir Putin will talk with the four leaders of Vietnam on Thursday in Hanoi and will meet with graduates of Soviet and Russian universities, reported RIA Novosti.
Putin arrived in Vietnam on the evening of June 19 Moscow time after a state visit to the DPRK. During a visit to North Korea, Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held Russian-Korean talks and signed joint documents. The leaders also participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean Liberation Monument. In addition, Putin visited the church "Holy Life-Giving Trinity" in Pyongyang.
At the end of the state visit to the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, with whom the president communicated for a total of more than 11 hours, personally escorted the Russian head of state to the plane. At that moment, the military band played a special fanfare "Song of Happiness" composed especially for the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung. The president and chairman walked past thousands of people waving flowers, flags and balloons in greeting.
In Hanoi, representatives of Vietnam met the Russian leader on the steps of the plane, and a company of honor guard was on duty at the airport. Putin greeted and headed to his Aurus limousine.
This is Putin's fifth visit to Vietnam; he previously visited the Asian country in 2001, 2006, 2013 and 2017. The head of state has a busy schedule for Thursday. The Russian president will meet with General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Tinh and Speaker of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man.
During the negotiations, it is planned to discuss the entire range of issues of the Russian-Vietnamese comprehensive strategic partnership.
The first item on Thursday's agenda is the ceremony of Putin's official meeting with President Tho Lam, followed by bilateral talks and the exchange of signed documents, after which the two presidents are expected to make a statement to the media. After that, Putin will hold talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Tinh in the form of a working breakfast, during which economic issues will be discussed.
Then a conversation with Nguyen Phu Trong is expected, after which there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the Fallen Heroes and at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. After that, the President of Russia will talk to the Speaker of the National Assembly. An important moment in the program of the Russian leader's visit to Hanoi will be his meeting with graduates of Soviet and Russian universities.
The day will end with a solemn reception in honor of the head of state of Russia.
During Putin's visit to Hanoi, a bilateral joint statement will be adopted confirming the principles of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and a number of cooperation documents in various fields will be signed, in particular an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of higher education.