HANOI: President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is on a five-day state visit to Vietnam, called on Communist Party of Vietnam general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday.
In their meeting lasting about half an hour, they discussed ways to further strengthen economic cooperation and people-to-people ties between Singapore and Vietnam.
The Communist Party chief said he appreciated Dr Tan's decision to make his very first state visit to Vietnam, to which Dr Tan replied that the trip was a 'particular pleasure' for him.
On a personal level, he said, it allowed him to revisit a country that he had last visited officially in 1996, when he was Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
The latest trip was also special, he added, because it was his first state visit abroad since he became President in September last year.
Mr Trong will be visiting Singapore at the year end.
Yesterday, on the second day of his visit, Dr Tan laid floral wreaths at the Hanoi War Memorial and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi.
In the evening, he left the Vietnamese capital for Ho Chi Minh City, where he is scheduled to meet provincial leaders and visit Singapore businesses in the country's economic centre today.
Dr Tan is also meeting businessmen from both countries for lunch.
