On the occasion of General Secretary To Lam, his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation's State visit to Laos to attend the 50th National Day Celebration of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; and co-chair the High-level Meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party from December 1-2, 2025, Party Central Committee member, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong gave an interview.
- Could you please tell us the meaning, purpose and some main activities of General Secretary To Lam's State visit to Laos?
Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong: At the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith and his wife, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and his wife and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay a State visit to Laos, attend the 50th National Day Celebration of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; and co-chair the High-level Meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party from December 1-2, 2025.
This is one of the particularly important foreign affairs activities of Vietnam in 2025 and is also the first State visit to Laos by General Secretary To Lam in his new position. The visit takes place at a very important time when Laos celebrates the 50th anniversary of Lao National Day (December 2, 1975 - December 2, 2025) and in the period before the Congress of the two Parties held in 2026 to make decisions on the development orientation of each country. The visit continues to affirm the determination of the leaders of the two Parties and the two countries to always pay special attention to inheriting and promoting the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, Laos and Vietnam to develop in accordance with the requirements, visions and strategic interests of the two countries in the new period.
We all know that Vietnam and Laos have a “unique” relationship in international relations, being two close neighbors with a long history of close ties throughout the process of building and defending the country of both peoples. With a solid foundation of relations laid by President Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong and cultivated by generations of leaders of the two Parties, two States and peoples of the two countries, it has brought about outstanding achievements, new steps forward, and breakthroughs in all fields.
One of the important activities of the visit is the High-level Meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, which is the most important mechanism in the cooperative relationship between the two Parties and the two countries. The leaders of the two sides will have the opportunity to exchange information with each other on the situation of each Party and each country, jointly evaluate the results of bilateral cooperation in the past time and propose orientations for the development of strategic, long-term relations towards the interests of the people of the two countries, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, creating a solid foundation for the two Parties and the two States to continue to cooperate closely in building and defending the Fatherland in the new period.
During the visit, General Secretary To Lam will also hold talks and meetings with senior Lao leaders and attend the 50th National Day Celebration of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, one of the major commemorative events of Laos this year. The rich and meaningful activities during this visit will continue to consolidate and affirm the high-level common awareness between the leaders of the two countries, emphasizing that the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos are invaluable assets, important and core factors for the special friendship relationship "Vietnam and Laos, our two countries; The love is deeper than the Red River and Mekong River" as President Ho Chi Minh once affirmed.
- How do you evaluate the outstanding achievements in Vietnam-Laos relations in recent times?
Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong: Overall, in recent years, in the face of complex, rapid and unpredictable developments of the times, with opportunities and challenges intertwined, the cooperative relationship between the two countries has achieved many outstanding achievements, affirming the depth, reliability and vitality of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in the new period.
First of all, it can be seen that the greatest achievement in the Vietnam-Laos relationship is the close and highly trustworthy political-diplomatic relationship, which continues to be a bright spot and plays an overall guiding role for the bilateral relationship. High-level contacts between the leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly and Government of the two countries take place actively in many flexible and timely forms. Exchange activities between delegations at all levels and sectors of the two sides also take place regularly, contributing to strengthening political trust and strategic ties while creating an important foundation for effectively implementing established bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Defense-security cooperation continues to affirm its role as one of the important pillars of Vietnam-Laos relations. The two sides maintain good coordination mechanisms, information exchange and border patrols; cooperate in human resource training; coordinate in the fight against cross-border crimes; and maintain a peaceful and stable environment for development in each country.
In addition to strengthening cooperation in politics, defense and security, the two sides also strive to raise the level, create breakthroughs and make strong changes in economic cooperation, especially effectively implementing key projects connecting the two economies, especially in transportation (including highways and railways), energy, trade, investment, training and development of high-quality human resources and building sustainable supply chains.
Recently, trade and investment cooperation has continued to record positive changes with the turnover in the first 10 months of 2025 reaching nearly 2.5 billion USD, an increase of 50.4% compared to 2024, making Vietnam the third largest trade partner of Laos, aiming for a target of 5 billion USD and striving to reach 10 billion USD in the coming time. Regarding investment, Vietnam currently has 274 investment projects in Laos with a total registered capital of more than 5.8 billion USD. A number of projects connecting transport infrastructure put into use are new steps in strategic linkages in development space, contributing to the development of the two countries in the near future.
Other areas of cooperation such as education and training, culture, transportation, energy, agriculture, etc. continue to be promoted and achieved many encouraging results. People-to-people exchanges and cooperation between localities of the two countries are increasingly expanding, contributing to enhancing understanding and solidarity between the people of the two countries, especially the young generation.
At regional and international multilateral forums, Vietnam and Laos always coordinate closely, support and share common views on peace, stability and sustainable development. The connection in mechanisms such as ASEAN, United Nations forums and sub-regional cooperation continues to affirm the spirit of solidarity, loyalty and responsibility of the two countries towards the regional community.
And with the foundation of a special relationship, deep political trust and wide open space for cooperation, I believe that General Secretary To Lam's State visit to Laos will create a strong impression on the prosperous development of the two countries, creating a strong breakthrough in the cooperative relationship between the two countries in the new situation, thereby actively contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region as well as in the world.
- Thank you very much!./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tinh-huu-nghi-doan-ket-hop-tac-viet-nam-la-tai-san-vo-gia-cua-hai-dan-toc-post1080069.vnp
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