General Secretary Manh extended the best wishes to Khamtay Siphandone, his wife as well as the Lao people on the occasion of their traditional festival of Bunpimay.

The Party leader briefed Khamtay Siphandone on the results of his earlier talks with the Lao Party General Secretary and State President, Choummaly Sayasone.

The Party, State and people of Vietnam will stand side by side with Lao counterparts to further develop their traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, he told his host.

Khamtay Siphandone said he was delighted to meet General Secretary Manh and accompanying officials, emphasising the special friendship between the two countries during their struggles for national independence.

Earlier, General Secretary Manh visited and delivered a speech at the Lao National University in the capital city of Vientiane.

The Party chief and his high-ranking delegation then left Vientiane for the northern province of Luong Prabang, as part of their three-day visit to the country through April 15.

Secretary of the Luong Prabang provincial Party Committee and Governor Bunhuong Duongphachan welcomed General Secretary Manh, saying that Luong Prabang people always consider the Vietnamese people to be close friends.

The general secretary took this occasion to present VND50 billion to help Luong Prabang province build a secondary school. He said the Vietnamese Party, State and people have strong confidence in Laos’ younger generations of Laos who upholding their elders’ tradition of fostering and developing the Vietnam-Laos special friendship.

On the evening of April 14, General Secretary Manh joined local residents in celebrating their traditional New Year.

With a total of 129 tourist sites, Luong Prabang attracts around 500,000 foreign visitors each year. The province has established cooperative ties with many cities and provinces of Vietnam, including Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue, Dien Bien, Son La, Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An.