French President Hollande arrives in Ho Chi Minh City
Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City half an hour later than scheduled, President Hollande left Tan Son Nhat airport for a meeting with the French community held this evening.
At 7 p.m., French President Francois Hollande's plane landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport, beginning his visit to Ho Chi Minh City. The weather in Saigon is quite hot even though it is the rainy season.
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Le Thanh Lien and leaders of the Department of Foreign Affairs arrived quite early to welcome Mr. Hollande and presented him with a bouquet of lotus flowers. The French delegation in Ho Chi Minh City also arrived in large numbers, with dozens of cars, led by Emmanuel Ly-Batallan, the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City will not have road closures like the one during President Obama's visit in May. A traffic police escort will accompany the French President's delegation throughout their visit to Ho Chi Minh City.
To ensure absolute safety for the delegation of French President Francois Hollande, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department was mobilized to the maximum, ready to deal with any situation. In addition, forces from the Guard Command (Ministry of Public Security), professional departments, Ho Chi Minh City Command... were also mobilized to tighten security.
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President Francois Hollande smiled brightly, the first person to step off the plane. Photo: Huu Cong |
According to the schedule, tonight Mr. Francois Hollande will attend a reception for the French community in Ho Chi Minh City, have dinner with the French Cultural delegation at the French Consulate. After that, he will stay at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel on Le Duan Street (District 1), near the French Consulate headquarters.
On the morning of September 7, the French President will meet with young software entrepreneurs and visit the Pham Ngoc Thach Heart Institute - a symbol of cooperation between the two countries in the health sector. Mr. Hollande will also meet and attend a reception hosted by Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang and Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong at the Independence Palace at noon, before returning to Paris.
The French President arrived at Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) last night. This morning, an official welcoming ceremony for Mr. Hollande was held solemnly at the Presidential Palace, chaired by President Tran Dai Quang. Afterwards, the two leaders held talks and a press conference to announce the results of their work.
President Hollande also met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, paid a courtesy call to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and met with National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. During the visit, the two sides signed many important documents and cooperation agreements in many fields.
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Old Quarter residents welcome President Francois Hollande. Photo: Giang Huy. |
In the afternoon, President Francois Hollande visited Hanoi's Old Quarter with nine former students who studied in France, including Professor Ngo Bao Chau. He walked to a cafe and went inside to chat with the former students.
Mr. Hollande's two-day visit to Vietnam marks the first time a French President has visited Vietnam in 12 years. He is the third French president to visit Vietnam.
According to VNE
