Thongloun Sisoulith’s attendance continues to reaffirm the two countries’ priorities in foreign affairs that are constantly developing the bilateral traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation, reinforcing political trust, and creating a single channel to direct the implementation of high-level agreements in the future.

Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith (L) and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Over the past few years, Vietnam and Laos have coordinated to organise a number of activities to strengthen the bilateral relations such as celebrating the Vietnam-Laos friendship and solidarity year 2017, the 55th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties (1962-2017), and the 40th anniversary of signing the Vietnam-Laos treaty on cooperation and amity (1977-2017).

The two sides also have worked together to implement effectively cooperation agreements on security and defence as well as strengthened locality-to-locality collaboration, especially in the shared border areas, in building infrastructure, providing health care, developing human resources, and ensuring order and security in border areas.

In 2017, Vietnam and Laos completed a project on increasing and upgrading border markers along their boundary in addition to signing a protocol on the Vietnam-Laos borderline and national border markers, and an agreement on management regulations of Vietnam-Laos border and border gates.

The two nations continued to promote the implementation of an agreement between the two governments on dealing with undocumented migration and marriages along the shared border.

They also worked together to seek and gather thousands sets of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives during wartime in Laos.

The 40th meeting of the inter-governmental committee in early 2018 under the chair of the two PMs significantly contributed to nurturing the traditional friendship and special solidarity between the two nations as well as their comprehensive cooperation.

As of October 2018, Vietnam remained one of the three biggest investors of Laos with the registration of 409 projects worth 4.1 billion USD.

In 2017, Vietnam and Laos signed a new trade agreement and a border trade deal.

Two-way trade reached 936.8 million USD in 2017 and 830.5 million USD in January-October 2018, up 15.2 percent against the same period last year.

Besides, the two sides also pushed ahead cooperation in other fields such as transport, education-training, culture-tourism, and health care.

Additional support to assist Lao people over dam incident

The Vietnamese authorities and localities continue to provide support to the Lao Government and people in order to help the neighboring country overcome the aftermath of the collapse of the Sepien Senamnoi hydropower dam.

 

More than 140 technologies to be showcased at Vietnam – Laos TechConnect

More than 140 technologies will be showcased at the Vietnam – Laos Forum on Technology Transfer (Vietnam – Laos TechConnect), which is scheduled to take place in Vientiane on August 9 and 10.

 

Bat Xat Fall Festival 2018 kicks off in Lao Cai

The Bat Xat Fall Festival 2018 opened in Muong Hum commune, Bat Xat district of the northern mountains of Lao Cai on August 19, offering visitors a series of ethnic tribal life experience and adventure activities.

 

Australia aids gender equality project via agriculture, tourism in Lao Cai

The Lao Cai People’s Committee and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam held a workshop in the northern mountainous province on August 21, to launch the Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) project.

 

PM hosts Lao Front leader

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted the visiting Chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC)’s Central Committee Saysomphone Phomvihane in Hanoi on September 4.

 

Source: VNA