Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son entertained his visiting Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi with breakfast before they took a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on Wednesday, during Marsudi’s ongoing visit to Vietnam.

Minister Son invited Marsudi to have pho – a signature Vietnamese dish of fresh rice noodles with broth and meat, usually beef or chicken – and fish noodles, and drink black coffee at a restaurant in Hoan Kiem District on Wednesday morning after the latter arrived in the Vietnamese capital for an official visit at Son’s invitation.  

The Indonesia FM enjoyed the foods suggested by Son and the two officials, in casual clothes, along with their entourages, talked delightfully.

Marsudi was initially scheduled to visit Vietnam on April 24-25, but she had arrived in the capital earlier to attend the ASEAN Future Forum, initiated and hosted by Vietnam on Tuesday.   

After the breakfast, Son suggested Marsudi to walk with him around Hoan Kiem Lake in the namesake district to enjoy the morning fresh air in Hanoi.

The two ministers then joined the crowd of people strolling along the lake area and talked about different issues in the cool weather after a morning rain.

When they reached The Huc Bridge, Son introduced the history of Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake.

The Indonesian diplomat inquired about local architectural landmarks and conveyed admiration for Vietnam’s endeavors to preserve and restore structures around the lake, a notable symbol of the capital.

“We have had a very cordial conversation. She has been foreign minister for nearly 10 years,” Minister Son told the press after he and Marsudi ended the walk and prepared for co-chairing the fifth session of the Vietnam-Indonesia Bilateral Cooperation Committee later at the Government Guest House.

As a veteran diplomat, 61-year-old Marsudi is the first Indonesian woman to hold the post of foreign minister in Indonesia, starting in 2014, after Joko Widodo became the president of the country.

As Marsudi does not belong to any political party, the fact that she has continued to hold the post over the past 10 years has proved her high capability for such a post.

This is not the first time that Minister Son has invited a foreign counterpart to have breakfast and take a stroll in Hanoi.

In August last year, Son and Singaporean FM Vivian Balakrishnan enjoyed breakfast together at an eatery in Hanoi when the latter accompanied Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a Vietnam visit.

The two diplomats then sat out on the sidewalk, chatting over a cup of egg coffee and watching the street life.

Such activities contribute to bringing Vietnamese cuisine closer to international friends, while also showing the pride Vietnamese diplomats have for their national culture.

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