According to a VNA special correspondent, on the afternoon of May 5 (local time), Party General Secretary, State President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation arrived at Palam Military Airport in New Delhi, starting the state visit to the Republic of India at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Welcoming the Party General Secretary, State President and the delegation at the airport were Minister of State for Home Affairs of India Nityanand Rai; Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Tshering Wangchuk Sherpa; Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Hai; Consul General of Vietnam in Mumbai Le Quang Bien, along with a large number of embassy staff, members of the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese students in India.

Across New Delhi, the Indian Government arranged portraits of the Party General Secretary, State President alongside bilingual banners warmly welcoming the visit.

At the hotel, many Indian artists warmly greeted the Party General Secretary, State President and the delegation with traditional dances.

Shortly after arriving in New Delhi, the Party General Secretary, State President met with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and held a meeting with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy as well as representatives of the Vietnamese community in India.

The visit is an important external relations event with special significance. It marks the first visit to India by Party General Secretary, State President To Lam in his new capacity, taking place as the two countries celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2016 - 2026).

The visit is also a vivid demonstration of the foreign policy of the Party and State in the new era as outlined by the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, namely independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralization of external relations, and being a responsible member of the international community.