HANOI, Sept 6 — The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Hajah Haminah, were accorded a state welcome today in conjunction with Their Majesties’ four-day state visit to Vietnam from yesterday.
The ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace in Ba Dinh District where Their Majesties were welcomed by Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his wife Mai Thi Hanh.
A guard-of-honour mounted by 200 personnel of the Vietnam People’s Army was in attendance. The national anthems of Malaysia and Vietnam were played soon after the arrival of Their Majesties.
Accompanying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the visit were the Tunku Laksamana of Kedah, Datuk Seri Diraja Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani Sultan Badlishah, and His Majesty’s daughters, the Tunku Panglima Besar of Kedah, Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz, and Datuk Seri Diraja Tunku Soraya.
Also in the entourage were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who is the minister-in-attendance, and the Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Datuk Azmil Mohd Zabidi.
President Truong introduced the Vietnamese dignitaries to Tuanku Abdul Halim and the entourage.
Tuanku Abdul Halim and Tuanku Hajah Haminah also posed for photographs with President Truong and his wife, and they had an audience afterwards.
Tuanku Abdul Halim and the entourage then proceeded to the headquarters of the Communist Party of Vietnam where His Majesty granted an audience to party general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong. – Bernama
