Vietnamese and Lao provinces boost all-round relations
VOV.VN - The central province of Thanh Hoa and its neighbouring Lao province of Houaphanh held talks and signed co-operation documents on June 20 in the Vietnamese locality.
Do Trong Hung, secretary of the Thanh Hoa Party Committee, and Vanxay Phengxumma, secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of Houaphanh, discussed and reached a consensus on an appendix supplementing the co-operation agreement for the 2021 to 2025 period and a co-operation agreement for this year.
Accordingly, Thanh Hoa will help Houaphanh build the headquarters of the administration of Viengxay district, as well as holding refresher courses for secretaries of Party cells and heads of villages in the Laotian province this year.
The 2023 agreement covers aspects such as politics, diplomacy, defence - security, economics, education - training, culture - society, and health care, among others.
The appendix and the 2023 deal will therefore provide a basis for the two provinces to continue strengthening their friendship and fraternity; fostering bilateral investment, trade, and business activities; as well as contributing to improve people’s life quality.
They will also help to enhance the special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between Thanh Hoa and Houaphanh, as well as between Vietnam and Laos at large, according to details given by the officials.
The two provinces have enjoyed continuous growth in terms of bilateral trade. Exports of firms from Thanh Hoa to Laos were valued at US$267.13 million in 2022 and US$15.2 million in the first half of the year.
As many as 413 Lao students are currently learning at universities and colleges in the Vietnamese province.
Since 2022, Thanh Hoa and Houaphanh have held 106 delegation exchanges at the provincial, department, sector, and locality levels. Last year, they also successfully organised an array of activities marking the 60th anniversary of joint diplomatic ties, 45 years since the signing of the countries’ Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, and 55 years since the signing of the first co-operation agreement between the two provinces.
Under the terms of the co-operation deal, 2022 saw Thanh Hoa provide more than VND47 billion, equivalent to US$2 million, in aid for Houaphanh to build a number of structures, including the headquarters of the administrations of Sam Nuea and Samtay districts and an asphalt road from Cangkhong village of Houaphanh’s Viengxay district to the checkpoint of Bo village in Thanh Hoa’s Muong Lat district. This is in addition to a monument to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who gave their lives in Laos, as well as a Laos - Vietnam friendship hospital.