Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Thongsalith Mangnormek, Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Minister of Education and Sports, along with his  delegation on December 16 in Hanoi.

Welcoming Minister Thongsalith Mangnormek and his delegation, PM Chinh conveyed his regards and best wishes to the leaders of the Lao Party, State, Government, and National Assembly. He expressed confidence that the visit would further deepen the special Vietnam-Lao relationship as well as promote effective and trustworthy cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports

He noted that Party General Secretary To Lam recently conducted a state visit to Laos; the two Parties held a high-level meeting, and the Prime Ministers of both countries co-chaired the 48th session of the Vietnam-Lao Intergovernmental Committee.

The two sides have agreed to further deepen and elevate the Vietnam-Lao relationship to a new level of “Great Friendship, Special Solidarity, Comprehensive Cooperation, Strategic Cohesion” in which education and training are recognized as pivotal for boosting strategic ties in the new phase, Chinh told his guest.

He asked the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports closely collaborate with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to carry out high-level agreements through concrete programs and projects, following the principle of “completing each task thoroughly, with focus and priority.”

This includes speeding up the establishment of the Lao-Vietnam University and the Vietnam Cultural Center in Laos; coordinating the placement of Lao students from border areas into Vietnam’s semi-boarding inter-level schools; enhancing the teaching and learning of Lao and Vietnamese languages in both countries, including offering Vietnamese as an elective foreign language in Lao schools.

The two sides will also continue to develop academic exchange programs, strengthen traditional education, and nurture the longstanding friendship between the two nations.

Minister Thongsalith Mangnormek thanked PM Chinh for the reception and conveyed the regards and best wishes of the Lao Prime Minister.

Reporting on the visit, Minister Thongsalith Mangnormek said the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports held meetings with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ministry of Science and Technology to augment cooperation in education, training, sports, science, and technology.

He added that preparations are underway for establishing the Lao-Vietnam University in Laos, including securing land that meets standards and needs, and finalizing plans for the university’s content, scale, and construction schedule.

The Lao side has also initiated pilot programs to send students from border areas to Vietnamese schools. In Laos, 13 educational institutions already teach Vietnamese, while teacher training programs for both Lao and Vietnamese language instructors continue to expand language teaching in each country.

Expressing thanks for Vietnam’s long-term support in training human resources, Minister Thongsalith Mangnormek emphasized that his nation has devised its national development strategy through 2035 and seeks Vietnam’s continued support in human resource training across key sectors, particularly science, technology, and sports, confident that Vietnam will remain a reliable partner in education, training, and sports.

Vietnam - Laos peace committees promote role of people-to-people diplomacy

The role of people-to-people diplomacy in fostering Vietnam–Laos relations was underlined at a series of meetings and discussions held in Vientiane on December 9.