The Pudong (the Eastern part of Shanghai) was not a quarter as people thought, but it is really a young modern city, Vietnamese State President Tran Duc Luong said while talking about the rapid development of China.

"Via newspapers and documents, it is thought that Pudong was a quarter, but in fact it is a whole big modern city," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview recently.

"I've been to many places in the world. I have deep impressions on Shanghai, a modern city developed in a short period of time. In 2001, I visited some Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Visiting them, I was very glad to see the potential and the strong, rapid and comprehensive growth of China, especially Shanghai," the Vietnamese president said.

The two cities of Kunming and Lijiang also left good impressions on Luong. He said he was impressed by infrastructure development, urban construction and tourism promotion in Chinese cities. "Last year, I visited Kunming and Lijiang, a very famous tourism city of China. After coming home, I told many Vietnamese leaders and cadres in relevant sectors that they need to visit there, get to know and learn experiences from the rapid development (of Chinese localities)."

"We congratulate China on the rapid socioeconomic development, the strong advancement of its science and technology, especially in space technology," Luong said ahead of his state visit to the country from July 18-22 at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Vietnam also highly appreciates China's achievements in external relations, culture and sports, especially the hosting of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, he said, noting that the country's socioeconomic development is worth learning from.

"Vietnam and China are two close neighbors which have traditional friendship, and many similarities and common interests in the current integration and development process," Luong stated, noting that the two sides frequently exchange visits by delegations, learning and drawing on experience from each other for mutual benefits.

"The multi-faceted cooperative relations between Vietnam and China have quickly developed in all fields, including economy, trade, investment, science, technology, politics and diplomacy, bringing benefits to both countries and keeping up with the changing international situations in recent years," he noted.

The president said he firmly believed that the friendly and all- round cooperative ties will continuously grow, especially in the fields of economy and trade, which is beneficial to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region as well as the world.

"When having free time, I often read books, do gardening and watch TV. I watch many Chinese films on TV," the Vietnamese president said at the conclusion of the interview.

Source: Xinhua