In their opening speeches, the heads of the Vietnamese and Chinese delegations praised the time-honoured friendship nurtured by late President Ho Chi Minh and President Mao Zedong.

Under the motto of "Friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and future-oriented vision" and in the spirit of "good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners.", relations between the two countries have grown and flourished in all fields in recent times. Leaders from both countries hope that the Vietnam-China relations will continue to develop after it has been lifted to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, they said.

On the occasion, the Head of the ASEAN-China Association highlighted the significance of finalising land border marker planting between Vietnam and China while saying that the Vietnam-China friendship festival 2009 would contribute to building a borderline of peace, cooperation and stability.

During the three-day festival, diverse activities are being held, such as the Vietnam-China Friendship Forum, a boat racing and cultural and youth exchange programmes.