(VOVWORLD) - President Luong Cuong and his spouse on Tuesday hosted a state banquet in honor of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Queen Jetsun Pema, and the high-ranking delegation of Bhutan on their state visit to Vietnam (August 18–22).
 President Luong Cuong and his spouse, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan and the Queen. (Photo: Viet Cuong/VOV) |
In his speech, President Luong Cuong expressed admiration for Bhutan as one of the few carbon-negative countries in the world, maintaining forest coverage of more than 70% of its territory, and promoting a sustainable development model where humility, community values, and harmony with nature are highly cherished.
 President Luong Cuong and his wife host a solemn reception to welcome King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan and the Queen on a state visit to Vietnam. (Photo: Viet Cuong/VOV) |
President Luong Cuong said the two leaders discussed directions and concrete measures to foster practical and effective cooperation between the two nations, particularly in economy, trade, investment, culture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, connectivity, and other areas of shared interest.
 President Luong Cuong delivers a speech. (Photo: Viet Cuong/VOV) |
He expressed his belief that the visit by the King and Queen of Bhutan will create new momentum for mutually beneficial and substantive cooperation.
 King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan delivers a speech. (Photo: Viet Cuong/VOV) |
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck praised Vietnam’s resilience, unity, courage, dedication to heritage preservation, and steadfast faith in the future.
He said that thought Bhutan is a small and distant nation, it shares the same spirit as Vietnamese friends.
"We believe heritage is not mere decoration but a compass guiding us toward a better future for our people. In that spirit, we are creating the Gelephu Mindfulness City, popularly known as GMC, as a cultural and financial gateway for South Asia, rooted in Bhutanese values. We would be deeply honored if Vietnam would be part of this endeavor.” said King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.