Hanoi - Greek President Karolos Papoulias met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet Monday at the start of a six-day visit to the south-east Asian state.

Papoulias is the first Greek president to visit Vietnam since the two countries established bilateral ties in 1975.

"Greece in very interested in promoting relations between our two countries, and proof of this is that just as we promised, we have opened a Greek embassy in your country," said Papoulias.

Greece opened its embassy in Hanoi in March 2007. Vietnam has no embassy in Athens, but has declared its intention to open one.

Triet recalled his warm impressions of visiting the Acropolis during a state visit to Greece in June.

Attending the formal greeting between the two presidents was a Greek citizen, his chest full of medals from the Vietnamese military and Communist Party.

Kostas Sarantidis, 81, fought with Vietnamese Communist forces from 1946 to 1956, as the country struggled to gain independence from France. Now retired, he has returned to live in Vietnam, where the communist country he once fought for has transformed into a dynamic free-market economy.

"This country is changing faster than any other country in the world," said Sarantidis, in fluent Vietnamese.

Papoulias is accompanied by representatives of 35 Greek companies hoping to broaden the two countries' business ties in areas like shipbuilding and tourism.

Trade between Greece and Vietnam amounted to 89 million dollars in 2007, a figure topped already in the first eight months of this year. (dpa)