Vietnam’s newly elected president, Mr. Vo Van Thoung reached Laos today for a two-day trip, at the invitation of the President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith.
This is the first foreign trip for the newly elected President who assumed his current role in March this year, symbolizing strong connections between the two nations.
The Chairwoman of the Lao Presidential Office, Khemani Pholsena, along with other officials, including the Mayor of Vientiane, Atsaphangthong Siphandone, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Thongphane Savanphet, the Lao Ambassador to Vietnam, Sengphet Houngboungnuang, representatives from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos, Nguyen Ba Hung, welcomed the Vietnamese leader and his delegation.
Laos and Vietnam established relations in September 1962, and in 2019 elevated their relations from “traditional friendship” to “great friendship.”
As a neighboring country, Vietnam has invested a registered capital of about USD 4.3 billion across 219 projects in Laos, coming in third after China and Thailand.
The trade turnover between the two nations reached close to USD 1.7 billion in 2022, with an increase of more than 25 percent from the previous year.
In 2022, Vietnam also launched five new projects in Laos, which are collectively worth USD 70 million. This is up more than 50 percent from 2021 investment figures.
President Thuong’s visit will involve various activities, such as attending an official welcome ceremony, holding talks with Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, witnessing a signing ceremony of cooperation documents between the two nations, and having meetings with the Prime Minister and the National Assembly Chairman of Laos.
According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Laos and Vietnam will continue to strengthen cooperation in the fields of defense and security. This includes managing issues related to security and social order, strengthening border control, and curbing human trafficking and other transnational crimes like drug trafficking and transportation, reports Vnexpress.
