President leaves Hanoi for visits to Austria, Italy, the Vatican

President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse

The visits, lasting until July 28, are made at the invitations of President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Italy Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis.

This will be the first visit to Austria by a Vietnamese President in the past 15 years, and the first trips to Italy and the Vatican by a Vietnamese head of state in the past seven years. The President's visit to Italy will be also the most important highlight as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership in 2023.

President Vo Van Thuong is accompanied by Chairman of the Presidential Office Le Khanh Hai, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Vinh Phuc Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien and Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung, among others.

President Vo Van Thuong (first from right) at a see-off ceremony held at the airport before heading to Austria, Italy and the Vatican

The visits aim to continue implementing the foreign policy of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam on independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development; promote and deepen Vietnam’s bilateral cooperation with Austria, Italy and the Vatican. They are also to help boost Vietnam - E.U. relations and contribute to enhancing ASEAN - E.U. ties.

Source: VNA