Hillary Clinton arrives in Vietnam

The first lady, who was greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Pete Peterson, and a host of ranking Foreign Ministry personnel, departed Hanoi's Noi Bai airport en route to her hotel.

She will accompany the president on parts of his historic four-day visit, but has a separate schedule for large blocks of time, according to a White House schedule. On Friday, she is scheduled to travel to the village of Yen Tang to talk with women in a microcredit programme and meet local villagers.

Participation in a women's forum at the History Museum is also planned, an advance team official confirmed. She will also attend a session of the National Assembly, the legislative body which gathers in a hall opposite the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, Hillary will give a speech at the Municipal Theatre. Having recently become the only first lady ever elected to the U.S. Senate, her schedule in Vietnam is expected to be watched closely, observers said.

(la/dpa)