(VOVworld) – Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko began their first official visit to Vietnam on Tuesday. 

Japanese Emperor and Empress (left) at Noi Bai airport

On Wednesday morning, President Tran Dai Quang hosted a welcome ceremony for the Emperor and Empress in Hanoi. After meeting with President Quang, Emperor Akihito laid a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and met with former Vietnamese students in Japan and Japanese citizens in Vietnam.

On Tuesday evening, shortly after they arrived in Hanoi, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko met volunteers of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Emperor and Empress asked JICA volunteers about their work and life in Vietnam and their aspirations. The Emperor and Empress expressed their hope that the volunteers will fulfill their duties in whatever positions they hold.