Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, experts remembered in Laos

In his address, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam highlighted the historical context and the formation of the contingent of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Laos, their invaluable contributions during the two resistance wars and their pivotal role in the Lao revolution.

The ambassador stressed that the Lao Party, Government and people consider the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts their comrades, friends and family. Alongside the Pathet Lao forces, the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts instilled the revolutionary ideal in the Lao people. They were soldiers and also diplomats who laid the foundation for the special solidarity between Laos and Vietnam, he said.

The Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts excellently fulfilled their mission, together with Lao people and armed forces achieving complete victory in the resistance wars against French colonialists and American imperialists, contributing to the common triumph of the Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian revolutions, the ambassador said.

Looking to the future, the ambassador hoped that young officers and soldiers of the heroic Lao People's Army (LPA) will gain deep understanding about the special Vietnam-Laos combat alliance; cherish and remember the enduring bond shared by generations of both nations, particularly the life-and-death solidarity between Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts and the LPA in the struggle for independence and freedom.

Colonel Saveng Dennamone, head of the LPA culture and ethnicity boarding school, said the anniversary provides an occasion to educate generations of LPA officers and soldiers in the special relationship between Laos and Vietnam. "Without this day, the life of Lao people would not have been like today," he said.