People welcome Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on December 12. Xi arrived in the Southeast Asian country for a two-day state visit (XINHUA)

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, paid a state visit to Vietnam from December 12 to 13, which has drawn enthusiastic comments from people from all walks of life in Vietnam, including officials, cultural professionals, and scholars.

They said that the two sides should always hold dear to the hearts their traditional friendship, bear in mind shared visions and missions, advance together along the socialist path, and jointly make greater contributions to the cause in advancing human progress.

The following are some of the highlights of their comments.

-- General Secretary Xi's state visit to Vietnam is of far-reaching significance, said Tran Van Luat, former Vietnamese ambassador to China.

The two leaders jointly announced the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, thus opening up a more pragmatic and broader space for cooperation between the two countries and bringing greater benefits to the two peoples, he said.

-- The new positioning of Vietnam-China ties is a milestone in the history of bilateral relations, said Nguyen Minh Vu, deputy minister of foreign affairs, noting that he believes the two sides will further strengthen cooperation in various fields and achieve new results based on deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

-- Dong Quang Vinh, a conductor at the Vietnam national Opera & Ballet expressed the hope that the two countries will further strengthen cultural exchanges and that artists of the two countries will continuously improve their cultural attainments through mutual learning.

-- It is hoped that more excellent Chinese cultural products would reach Vietnamese audience and readers, so as to help them better understand the Chinese society and culture, said Mo Shuang Shuang, manager of a Vietnamese traditional music group.

-- China practices principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness for its foreign policy toward neighboring countries, and the path of Chinese modernization will benefit people in the Asia-Pacific region and make new and greater contributions to world peace, stability, development, and prosperity, said Nguyen Thi Hong Nhan, a lecturer at the University of Language and International Studies, said.