President to embark on maiden visit to Vietnam, Australia

New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on a week-long visit to Vietnam and Australia beginning Sunday. Starting his trip from the Vietnamese coastal city Da Nang, Kovind will head to the capital Hanoi where he will hold talks with the political leadership and also address the National Assembly of Vietnam. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Kovind, in his maiden visit to an Asean country, will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Heading to Australia on November 21, Kovind, the first Indian President to visit the country, will meet Prime Minister Scott Morrison and they will together unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parramatta to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the father of the nation. He will visit Sydney and Melbourne and hold discussions with the Governor-General Peter Cosgrove. The President will also address the Australia Financial Review Business event and attend dinner at the Australia-India Business Council. He is also slated to meet Governor of Victoria Linda Dessau and address students at the Melbourne University.
--IANS and/mag/sed