Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung left Hanoi on Monday to start a six-day visit to China.

This is Dung's first official visit to China since he took office in 2006.

During the visit, Dung is scheduled to attend the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting, slated for October 24 to 25 in Beijing. He will also meet with Chinese leaders and visit China's southern Hainan Province.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2008)