It’s official, Philippe and Mathilde from Belgium will fly to South Asia at the beginning of spring. The sovereigns will set down their suitcases in Vietnam from April 1 to 3. A trip that they will make at the invitation of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, HE Luong Cuong. This state visit will also mark “the high point of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Belgium”, specifies the palace.
The King and Queen will be accompanied on their journey by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister-Presidents of the Communities and Regions, as well as an economic and academic delegation. And for good reason, diplomatic, economic and cultural visits and activities are on the program.
Queen Mathilde had already visited Vietnam
Their engagements will take place in three cities: the capital Hanoi, then the country’s largest port city, Hai Phong, before a stop in Ho Chi Minh City, in the south of the country. The opportunity for Queen Mathilde to reconnect with landscapes that are familiar to her. In May 2023, she traveled the country to meet children and young people as part of a UNICEF mission, of which she is honorary president in Belgium.
This is not the first country on the Asian continent that the King of the Belgians and his wife will officially visit. After a visit to China in 2015, the couple was received the following year by the Emperor of Japan Akihito. India followed in 2017, before South Korea in March 2019.
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