State President Sang and his wife will pay an official friendship visit to Laos from February 9-11 at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President Chummaly Sayasone.

This is the first visit by Mr Sang in his capacity as State President, opening diverse activities to welcome the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year of 2012.

Over the past year, Vietnam continued to hold its second place in investment in Laos, with a total of 224 projects worth US$3.57 billion, focusing on mining, electricity, agriculture and services.

Two-way trade over the last 11 months of 2011 reached US$636 million, up 48 percent over the same period of the previous year, in which Vietnam’s export earnings hit US$239 million, 32 percent more than 2010.

Both countries are striving to bring two-way trade to US$1 billion this year and US$2 billion by 2015.