President warmly welcomed after arrival in Hanoi

President Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam is seen as an important milestone in bilateral relations, with people in Vietnam hoping for closer cooperation between the two countries in various sectors.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday, starting his two-day state visit.

He received a warm welcome from Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and more than 400 representatives from various sectors in China and Vietnam on his arrival at the airport. He was also greeted by people along the route from the airport to his hotel.

In the afternoon, Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, hosted a welcoming ceremony for Xi at the Presidential Palace.

Dong Quang Vinh, conductor of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet, said, "I think the visit (by Xi) is really important."

On Tuesday evening, Vinh, in his role as director of the Suc Song Moi (New Vitality) Bamboo Ensemble, led a performance for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

It was the second time that Vinh and his ensemble have performed for Xi. The first time was during the Chinese leader's last visit to Vietnam in 2017.

"When Xi comes to Vietnam, I feel so happy," said Vinh, who studied music in China for nine years at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and calls China his second home.

Vinh noted that bamboo is a special element in traditional Vietnamese music. He said the ensemble specifically chose to play music pieces from both countries — the Vietnamese folk song The Rooster and the Chinese song Swan Geese — to make the performance a demonstration of friendship.

Noting that many exchange activities, especially in the arts, were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vinh said he is certain that Xi's visit will help open the door for artists to meet one another to play music together and form cultural bonds.

The visit by Xi will lead to more cultural exchanges and more chances for artists from Vietnam and China to bring their art to audiences on both sides, said Vinh.

Ngo Lan Phuong, chief executive of Kim Lien International Travel in Vietnam, said, "Many people in Vietnam are paying attention to President Xi's visit, and we warmly welcome President Xi to visit Vietnam, a close neighbor of China."

"Just like President Xi said, visiting Vietnam feels like visiting relatives and neighbors," said Phuong, quoting from an article that Xi wrote for Vietnam's Nhan Dan Newspaper on Tuesday.

Expecting to see deeper friendship between Vietnam and China, Phuong told China Daily that she hopes to see more tourism exchanges between the two countries.

"The closer relationship between Vietnam and China will serve as a catalyst for cooperation in the tourism industry between the two countries," Phuong said.

She said she hopes a closer bilateral relationship between the two countries can promote tourism cooperation, which could help provide more opportunities for people in Vietnam and China to know more about their neighbors and experience different landscapes.

Nguyen Van Tho, CEO of motorcycle and jeep tour agency Hanoi Backstreet Tours, said he hoped more Chinese tourists would travel to Vietnam after Xi's visit, as the number declined significantly in recent years due to COVID-19.

"Many places in Vietnam are waiting for Chinese tourists," Tho said, adding that the return of Chinese tourists will help create more job opportunities.

Before the pandemic, China was Vietnam's biggest source of tourists, with 5.8 million arrivals in 2019, according to Vietnamese online newspaper VnExpress.

Tran Thi Ngoan, a sophomore in the English Department at Hanoi University, said the visit by Xi is an important event, and she hopes to see more bilateral exchange programs for students.

Ngoan also said she wishes to visit China in the future.

"I hope to visit Fenghuang Ancient Town (in Hunan province).I saw it on the internet and it was so beautiful," Ngoan said.

Pham Van Hong, a taxi driver in Hanoi, said he was excited about Xi's visit and believes the visit can bring good results for his country's cooperation with China.

Hong also said he was happy to see Chinese investment in Vietnam, as the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line of the Hanoi Metro saves him a lot of time while commuting.

"Without the Metro, it used to take me one to two hours (to get to work). With the Metro, it is just about 20 minutes," Hong said.

Built by China and run by Vietnam, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line is a flagship project of cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's Two Corridors and One Economic Circle plan.