President Higgins welcomes President of Vietnam on first Irish state visit

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins has welcomed the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Tô Lâm to Ireland this week.

President Tô Lâm and his wife Madame Ngô Phýõng Ly arrived in Dublin yesterday for their first state visit to Ireland, which concludes today.

Their first engagement was a ceremonial welcome held at Áras an Uachtaráin, followed by a bilateral meeting between the two heads of state.

During that meeting, President Higgins expressed his condolences to President Tô Lâm following the loss of life and destruction caused by Typhoon Yagi.

After the bilateral meeting, President Tô Lâm planted an Irish Oak tree in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin to mark the Visit.

“The Presidents discussed a number of topics including global food security, concerns regarding the current situation in the Middle East, the importance of the Geneva Conventions, diplomatic relations between the two countries, the importance of human rights, and the potential for further strengthening relations between the two countries in areas such as trade and investment, education and training, and culture and tourism,” a spokesperson for President Higgins’ office confirmed.

Last night President Higgins and his wife Sabina hosted a State Dinner in honour of President Tô Lâm and First Lady Tô Lâm.

In November 2016, Higgins became the first Irish head of state to make a state visit to Vietnam, at the invitation of then President Tran Dai Quang.

Held to mark 20 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Vietnam, Mr Higgins visited Hanoi, Dong Ha and Ho Chi Minh City while there.

That state visit was also followed by an official visit to Laos.

Mr Tô Lâm assumed the office of president in May of this year.

He holds both the title of president and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

While in Ireland President Tô Lâm will visit the Garden of Remembrance, Trinity College Dublin and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, as well as meeting with the Vietnamese community in Ireland.

Today, President Tô Lâm will meet with Taoiseach Simon Harris at Government Buildings.