HANOI, July 20 — Vietnam rolled out the red carpet for Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the official welcoming ceremony in the Presidential Palace here today.

Anwar was received on arrival at the Presidential Palace by his counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.

The national anthem of Malaysia, Negaraku and Vietnam’s national anthem Tien Quan Ca were then played by the military band before Anwar accompanied by Chinh inspected the Guard of Honour.

Chinh and Anwar then proceeded to greet welcoming dignitaries where both leaders introduced their respective officials.

The two leaders later attended a photo session before proceeding to the Government Office for a bilateral meeting.

After the bilateral meeting, both Anwar and Chinh witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

NCCIM was represented by its president Tan Sri Datuk Soh Thian Lai, while the VCCI, by its chairman cum president Pham Tan Chong.

Both leaders also witnessed the exchange of Agreed Minutes of the 7th Joint Commission Meeting on Economic, Scientific and Technology Cooperation (JCM-7) between Malaysia and Vietnam.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir signed the documents for Malaysia while Vietnam was represented by its Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son. — Bernama