Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, and To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and then Vietnamese president, who is on a state visit to China, have a small chat over tea in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

　　BEIJING, April14(Xinhua) -- When To Lam made his first visit to China as Vietnam's top leader in August last year, he started the trip not in Beijing but in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou -- a special arrangement Chinese President Xi Jinping later hailed as “quite meaningful.“

　　It was in Guangzhou, a century earlier, that Ho Chi Minh, the late Vietnamese leader, began his revolutionary activities in China, a period of history Xi described as “a shared red memory“ between the two countries' ruling parties.

　　Xi will soon travel to Vietnam for a fourth state visit as general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president. The trip coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam, two socialist neighbors that have forged an enduring bond as “comrades and brothers.“

　　Behind the metaphors lies more than a diplomatic formality. Xi sees the enduring China-Vietnam friendship as a living cause to be carried forward. His upcoming visit offers a moment to draw inspiration from the storied past to chart the future course of bilateral relations.

　　During a state visit to Vietnam in 2017, Xi brought along a special national gift -- 19 issues of The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the CPC Central Committee.