Chinese President and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit to Vietnam from April 14 to 15 marks his fourth trip in his dual role as head of state and party leader, reaffirming his long-standing personal engagement with Vietnam.

Ahead of this visit, Xinhua News Agency shared a reflective article highlighting meaningful encounters and memories that President Xi has had with Vietnam, portraying a relationship that transcends formal diplomacy.

During Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam’s visit to China in August 2024, the official itinerary began not in Beijing, but in the southern city of Guangzhou. In a post published on April 11, Xinhua reported that Xi called this choice "meaningful" - a symbolic nod to the city where President Ho Chi Minh began his revolutionary activities nearly a century ago. Xi described this moment in history as a “shared red memory” between the two parties.

President Xi's upcoming visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations. According to Xinhua, Xi sees this trip not just as a diplomatic event but as an opportunity to promote enduring friendship, define future roadmaps, and strengthen strategic ties between the two nations.

In a memorable gesture during his 2017 state visit to Vietnam, President Xi brought a special gift - 19 archival issues of People’s Daily, 16 of which were visibly yellowed with time, featuring historic news coverage of President Ho Chi Minh’s 1955 visit to China.

“These articles were about President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to China in 1955. We went to great lengths to find them,” Xi said during that trip. One issue, dated June 26, 1955, featured a large front-page photo of President Ho Chi Minh with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

“President Ho Chi Minh was like a brother to Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese leaders,” Xi later wrote in a signed article published in Nhan Dan newspaper before that visit.

President Xi expressed high regard for the contributions of past leaders in fostering China-Vietnam friendship. In his 2015 speech before Vietnam’s National Assembly, Xi quoted Ho Chi Minh, stating that the Vietnam-China relationship was one of "both comrades and brothers."

When speaking with Vietnamese youth, Xi affectionately noted, “We call President Ho Chi Minh ‘Uncle Ho’,” and said that among his generation, Ho Chi Minh is remembered as the Chinese people’s dearest friend.

In 2011, then-Vice President Xi visited President Ho Chi Minh’s former residence. Before departing, he left a handwritten note: “The spirit of President Ho Chi Minh will be honored for millennia, and China-Vietnam friendship will endure through generations.”

He returned to the same site during his 2017 state visit to Vietnam, reaffirming: “We should learn from Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, and President Ho Chi Minh, and continue to develop China-Vietnam friendship for the benefit of both peoples.”

Tea talks

During President To Lam’s visit to China in August 2024, the two leaders held a traditional tea talk at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Madam Peng Liyuan hosted a separate tea session with madam Ngo Phuong Ly, where they also enjoyed a traditional Chinese opera performance.

According to Xinhua, such tea talks have become a diplomatic tradition between the leaders of China and Vietnam, reflecting shared cultural values.

“Unlike formal negotiations, these tea talks offer a more intimate and personal channel of communication between leaders,” said Pan Jin’e of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Gifting during these tea talks has also left lasting impressions on bilateral relations. In 2023, during a state visit by Xi Jinping, late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presented him with a painting depicting one of their previous tea talks in Beijing.

Back in 2017, following a tea session in Beijing, Xi gifted Trong a handwritten Chinese copy of a poem by President Ho Chi Minh, which describes the hardships and perseverance of Vietnam’s struggle for liberation. Xi later quoted this poem in his 2015 speech before the Vietnamese National Assembly.

In today’s dynamic and challenging era, China and Vietnam have set even higher ambitions. During Xi’s 2023 visit to Vietnam, both sides pledged to build a strategic community with a shared future. Xi told late General Secretary Trong: “We should walk this path together.”

Minh Thu