Among the newspapers were 16 yellowed copies carrying news reports on Ho Chi Minh. “These newspapers date back to Chairman Ho's visit to China in 1955. It took us quite some effort to find them,“ Xi explained.

　　One notable edition, dated June 26, 1955, featured a full-column front-page photograph of Ho alongside Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other first-generation CPC leaders.

　　Ho, who founded the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in Hong Kong and led Vietnam's liberation, forged close personal ties with CPC leaders during his 12 years of revolutionary activities in China. “He was like a brother for Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai and other Chinese leaders,“ Xi wrote in a signed article published by the major Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan (People) ahead of the 2017 visit.

　　Xi Jinping (L, front) talks with then General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong (R, front) at the former residence of late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

　　Xi holds dear the indelible contributions these great forerunners made to fostering the China-Vietnam friendship. During his first state visit to Vietnam in 2015, in a speech to Vietnam's National Assembly, Xi quoted Ho's own words: “China and Vietnam enjoy comradely and brotherly friendship.“

　　Xi once shared his personal regard for Chairman Ho while speaking with Vietnamese youth. “We call him 'Uncle Ho',“ Xi said. He noted that in the hearts of the Chinese people of his generation, Chairman Ho is remembered as the best friend of the Chinese people.