A group of Beijing primary school students had a very special "class" on Wednesday with two national leaders in front of the Great Hall of the People.

As many as 80 fourth grade students from a primary school in the city participated in the welcoming ceremony which President Xi Jinping held for Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.

The students waved the two countries' flags and greeted the two national leaders in both languages during the ceremony.

The Vietnamese president was greatly impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the youngsters. At the end of the welcoming ceremony, he approached the group and hugged 10-year-old Shen Jiayi.

"I never expected to be so close to a foreign leader. I am so lucky today," she said.

A Foreign Ministry official surnamed Yu said more young people were likely to take part in similar activities in the future.

A teacher surnamed Li who led the group of students said most of the children were too excited to have a proper sleep the night before.

"We only asked them to wear their school uniforms, but some students even prepared new shoes for the event. They were very happy to have such a great opportunity," Li said.

- Zhao Yanrong and Zhang Yunbi

(China Daily USA 06/20/2013 page4)