According to VNA, at exactly 9:45 p.m. on October 3 local time (2:45 a.m. on October 4 Hanoi time), the plane carrying General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation landed at Orly Airport, Paris, France, to begin activities to attend the 19th Francophone Summit and pay an official visit to the French Republic from October 3-7 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Welcoming the delegation at the airport, on the French side were Minister of Justice, Chancellor Didier Migaud; Deputy Governor Yves Bossuyt; French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet; Commander of the Gendarmerie; Commander of the Border Police; Director of Protocol Marie Moura.
On the Vietnamese side, there were Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang and his wife; Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in France.
Orly Airport is brightly lit with the Vietnamese and French flags. Officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in France present flowers to General Secretary and President To Lam.
Representatives of the Protocol Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France invited General Secretary and President To Lam to walk on the red carpet along two rows of honor guards, shaking hands with the officials who came to welcome him. A large number of the Vietnamese community in France waved flags and flowers to welcome General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.
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 Office of the Party Central Committee; Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Party Central Committee's External Relations;
Bui Thanh Son, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mai Van Chinh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Head of Central Mass Mobilization; Le Khanh Hai, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Office of the President;
Nguyen Thuy Anh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Social Committee of the National Assembly (Chairwoman of the Vietnam Subcommittee at the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF), President of the Vietnam - France Friendship and Cooperation Association);
Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Home Affairs; Le Minh Hoan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development;
Nguyen Van Hung, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Nguyen Van Thang, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Transport;
Dao Hong Lan, Member of the Party Central Committee, 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 Defence; To An Xo, Assistant to the General Secretary, in charge of the General Secretary's Office; Dinh Toan Thang, Ambassador of Vietnam to France.
General Secretary and President To Lam's participation in the 19th Francophone Summit aims to continue affirming Vietnam's role as a key member of the Francophone community in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Vietnam's active and responsible participation in the activities of the Francophone community in particular and the international community in general, contributing to strengthening and consolidating multilateralism, cooperation and international solidarity.
Through its participation in the 19th Francophone Summit, Vietnam continues to affirm its achievements in economic, social and cultural development in recent times.
This is also the first visit by a President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of France in 22 years, aiming to deepen the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership; further promote cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of trade, investment, culture, education, science and technology, and local cooperation; strengthen party foreign affairs, especially with the French Communist Party, and strengthen people-to-people diplomacy, thereby encouraging the French Government to continue to care for, support, and create conditions for the Vietnamese community in France to live, study, and work stably in the host country.
