German president arrives in Hanoi for state visit

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his spouse Elke Büdenbender landed in Hanoi on Tuesday morning, commencing a two-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse. Steinmeier’s Vietnam trip marks the second state visit by a foreign leader to the Southeast Asian nation in January. This also marks President Steinmeier's first state visit to Vietnam since assuming office in 2017. The German president and his spouse are scheduled to attend a welcome ceremony hosted by his Vietnamese counterpart on Tuesday afternoon. President Steinmeier’s Vietnam trip, accompanied by multiple major German companies, is meant to strengthen the partnership between the two nations in the economic and commercial realms.