Party leader Trong, who doubles as Vietnam National Assembly Chairman, and his wife will pay an official visit to Laos from June 20-22 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and State President Choummaly Sayasone. 

The Pathet Lao newspaper issued an article reviewing Vietnam’s support for Lao localities over the past week, with Houaphan province as one of the top beneficiaries. 

The province on June 7 received 10 automobiles worth VND3 billion (US$147,000) as a gift from Vietnam’s Tay Truong Son Group, which also built five houses valued at some 50,000 USD for Lao war invalids, the article said. 

At a recent conference on investment promotion, the central province of Thanh Hoa and Hoang Phuc company of Vietnam handed over VND500 million to the Lao locality. 

Also on June 7, the Vietnam Fatherland Front An Giang Chapter granted VND250 million and helped build five houses worth more than VND240 million for poor households in Champasak province. 

On June 10, the Lao province of Sekong received 320 home phones and 20 mobile phones from the Vietnamese side, the article said, noting that Vietnam’s central province of Quang Nam also presented over VND1 billion for the province’s two mountainous districts, which assisted Vietnam during the past war against US imperialism. 

The Pathet Lao newspaper stressed that such regular and practical support had contributed to boosting the relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’ Parties, State and people.