A Chinese coastguard vessel started a three-day goodwill visit to Vietnam on Thursday, marking the first official visit by the coastguard to countries around the South China Sea, Xinhua reported.

The CCG ship arrived in Chua We port in Vietnam's northern city of Haiphong on Thursday morning. It had just concluded a three-day joint patrol with Vietnam in a common fishing zone in the Beibu Gulf on Wednesday. This was the second such mission after the first in April.

The Vietnam coastguard welcomed the CCG vessel and on Thursday afternoon crew members from Vietnamese and Chinese vessels played table tennis, volleyball and took part in a tug of war.

More than 200 Vietnamese citizens and representatives of Chinese enterprises in Vietnam toured the ship on Friday.

The visit was a result of an agreement signed by both countries on Aug 26. The visit was also an opportunity to materialize a consensus reached by Chinese and Vietnamese prime ministers during the Vietnamese leader's visit to China in September, aiming to increase joint fishery patrols in the Beibu Gulf.

Over the past few years, both coastguards have conducted joint maritime search and rescue exercises, enhanced communication and law enforcement cooperation.