Vietnam People’s Army founding anniversary marked in Laos

The event was attended by General Chansamone Chanyalath, Politburo member, Defence Minister of Laos;Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung;representatives from the Lao ministries of Defence and Security; defence attachés of other countries;Vietnamese enterprises operating in Laos and overseas Vietnamese in the country. 

In his speech at the event, Colonel Tao Van Thai, Defence Attaché of Vietnam in Laos, warmly congratulated the Ministry of Defence and the People's Army of Laos on its upcoming 70th founding anniversary and Lao Defence Minister Chansamone Chanyalath’s promotion to the rank of General - the highest rank in the Lao People's Army. 

Thai highlighted the development of the Vietnam People’s Army over the last 74 years, saying the army has grown steadily over the years and 2018 was no exception,with achievements in building a revolutionary, regular, elite and modern army. 

He added 2018 saw enhanced integration and external defence work of Vietnam, with the successful organisation of the Vietnam-Laos-China-Cambodia-Thailand-Myanmar border exchange and the sending of the first level-2 field hospital to South Sudan for UN peacekeeping activities. 

Thai underlined new developments in the Vietnam-Laos defence relations in the year, saying cooperation has been promoted in all areas; including building a Vietnam-Laos border of peace, friendship, stability and development. 

The defence ties between the two sides deserve to be one of the most important pillars in the great friendship between Vietnam and Laos, he affirmed.

Colonel Thai expressed his gratitude to the Lao Party, State, people and army in the past year in promoting defence and military cooperation between the two nations. 

He also thanked defence attaché offices of others countries in Laos for working with the VPA and Vietnam’s Defence Attaché in Laos.