HANOI, Vietnam, April 9, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Vietnam confirmed on Thursday that top leader To Lam will visit China next week at the invitation of counterpart Xi Jinping, his first foreign trip since becoming president. The Communist Party boss was elected president -- the number two position in Vietnamese politics -- by the National Assembly on Tuesday, unifying leadership of the party and state as Xi did in China. Lam and his spouse "will lead a high-level delegation on a State visit to China from April 14-17, 2026," Vietnam's foreign ministry said in a statement. An official briefed on Lam's travel plans previously told AFP the trip would begin April 15, saying the Vietnamese leader would meet with Xi. Both Vietnam and China get much of their oil imports via the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has largely been halted due to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha April 09, 2026 09:45 UTC