President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and a high-ranking delegation of Greece arrived in Hanoi on May 15 afternoon. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and a high-ranking delegation of Greece arrived in Hanoi on May 15 afternoon, beginning their four-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Present at the welcome ceremony for the Greek President and her entourage at Noi Bai International Airport were Head of the Presidential Office Le Khanh Hai, Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Le Hong Truong, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu, and other representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreihn Affairs and the Greek Embassy in Hanoi.

During her stay in Vietnam, President Sakellaropoulou is scheduled to pay tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and fallen soldiers at Heroic Martyrs’ Monument in Hanoi.

She will hold talks with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, pay a courtesy visit to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and meet with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

The Greek President will also witness the signing of documents, meet with the press, visit Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature Complex) in Hanoi, and attend some events in localities.

The visit takes place in the context that the Vietnam-Greece traditional friendship is developing fruitfully, with conversations and meetings between the two countries’ leaders maintained despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is expected to contribute to consolidating political trust and deepening the multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam and Greece established diplomatic ties on April 15, 1975. Greece opened its embassy in Hanoi in March 2007, while Vietnam opened its embassy in Athens in December 2010 and officially inaugurated it on March 26, 2012.

Two-way trade has grown rapidly over the past five years, surpassing 446 million USD in 2021, up 33 percent year-on-year. Notably, Vietnam’s exports to Greece have expanded strongly and the country has always run a large trade surplus with Greece.