Full text of General Secretary To Lam's speech at the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration

General Secretary To Lam delivered a policy speech at the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration on the afternoon of December 1. Photo: VNA

"Dear Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic ,

Dear leaders of the Lao Party and State, comrades in the Vietnamese delegation,

Dear teachers, staff and students of the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration,

Dear Lao and Vietnamese friends,

The Vietnamese high-ranking delegation and I are very happy and moved to return to the beautiful brotherly country of Laos; to visit, meet and speak at the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration.

I sincerely thank General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith and the leaders of the Lao Party and State for their thoughtful, warm, and fraternal welcome.

On the solemn occasion of the 50th anniversary of the National Day of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, on behalf of the Party, State and People of Vietnam, I would like to send to the Party, State and People of the Lao ethnic groups my warmest congratulations .

We are extremely happy, excited and proud of the great and historic achievements that our brotherly country Laos has attained during the 50 years of building and developing the People's Democratic State.

I warmly congratulate the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. With a history of 30 years of establishment and development, the Academy has become the cradle of training and fostering theory, politics and administration for many leaders and managers in the apparatus of the Lao Party and State, who shoulder the important responsibility in the cause of building, protecting and developing Laos.

The topic I discuss with you today is: Inheriting the great friendship, cultivating special solidarity, consolidating comprehensive cooperation and promoting strategic ties between Vietnam and Laos in the new period.

Dear comrades and friends,

I- Geography, history and like-mindedness and common aspirations of the two nations

Vietnam and Laos are two neighboring countries with the same aspirations, the same living space and development. Geography is the starting point of natural ties, a place where "we share each other in times of need", a place where we hear the same rooster crow, a bowl of rice and a grain of salt.

For centuries, the people of the two countries have together gone through great historical challenges, together faced the harshness of nature to survive, together been invaded by colonialists and imperialists, together divided, restrained, oppressed, together faced the pressure of survival or united to win or were successively subdued.

And what is very special and unique is that the Indochinese Communist Party was born in late 1930 to lead the revolutionary movement in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

In that context, the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos is the only correct choice, a historical necessity of strategic survival. The two nations realize that: "If we want to survive and develop, we must stand together."

On the majestic Truong Son range, the people of the two countries, the army and police units of Laos and Vietnam relied on each other, protected each other to fight and win.

The strategic road across Truong Son, winding through the two countries, is the road of life, the road of victory, a symbol of a close-knit, united, and mutually trusting fighting alliance.

It can be said that during the resistance wars against colonialism and imperialism, Vietnam could hardly have won without the support, foothold, and strategic coordination of Laos.

The Lao revolution could hardly have won without the great, comprehensive, and selfless support of Vietnam. It was a natural fighting alliance, a "strategic symbiosis" in international relations. The blood of the Vietnamese and Lao people together colored the victory flags of the two countries.

Therefore, the Vietnam - Laos relationship, which was painstakingly cultivated by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong and generations of leaders of the two Parties and States, has become a special, pure, and loyal relationship that is rare in history, and a priceless common asset of the two brotherly peoples of Vietnam and Laos.

II- Great friendship, special solidarity - strategic adhesive

Through the practice of revolutionary struggle, we can proudly affirm that "great friendship, special solidarity, purity, loyalty, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion" are crystallized from the history of revolutionary struggle full of sacrifice, sharing, and together overcoming dangers, hardships, and challenges.

"Great" because it is a sentiment forged through the greatest challenges: War, loss, blood.

"Special" because it is the pure, loyal solidarity of people with the same will, the same battle, the same interests, with the belief: "Helping you is helping yourself", "your victory is my victory".

"Pure" because the two Parties and two States always put the interests of the revolutionary cause, national liberation and national construction above all and are a prerequisite in resolving bilateral issues.

One thing that needs to be affirmed is: Solidarity and closeness are the source of Vietnam - Laos relations. Without that source of cohesion, we would just be two neighboring countries "standing side by side".

With the adhesive "solidarity", we become two nations "standing together", "shoulder to shoulder" in the stages of development.

III- From cooperation to engagement: New requirements of the times

Dear comrades and friends,

The world is changing rapidly: the Fourth Industrial Revolution; supply chain shifts; strategic competition between major countries; non-traditional security issues such as climate change, epidemics, energy and financial crises.

In that context, if we just "cooperate" it is not enough, we must raise the level from cooperation to "engagement" because engagement is strategic, has an overall design, has roles, and complements each other.

I would like to emphasize three directions of engagement:

(1) Bilateral connection: Vietnam and Laos need to connect strategically in terms of development vision; connect space and infrastructure, economic corridors, logistics, energy, green transformation, and digital transformation.

(2) Connecting the sub-region, especially the three Indochinese countries. The closer the Vietnam-Laos relationship, the more sustainable the solidarity of the three Indochinese countries will be. The more united the three Indochinese countries will be, the more unified and strong ASEAN will be.

(3) Regional and international connectivity: Vietnam and Laos are both in ASEAN and participate in many sub-regional, regional and international cooperation mechanisms, so we need to promote complementary strengths. We will not only strengthen ourselves, but also contribute to making ASEAN stronger and the Southeast Asian region more stable and developed.

Thus, the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos is not only the asset of the two peoples, but also a pillar of stability for the entire Mekong sub-region, for ASEAN, for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

IV- Strategic foundations that need to continue to be inherited and developed

To inherit the great friendship, foster special solidarity, consolidate comprehensive cooperation and promote Vietnam-Laos strategic ties in the new period, in my opinion, we need to firmly maintain a number of strategic foundations.

First: Firmly uphold the goal of national independence associated with socialism:

Both Parties have chosen the path of national independence associated with socialism; building a socialist rule-of-law State of the People, by the People, for the People; developing a socialist-oriented market economy; the People are the center, the subject, the goal, and the driving force of development; the People are above all and first.

In the context of the world having many different trends, models and theories, Vietnam and Laos need to share, exchange, supplement and clarify the path we have chosen based on the vivid reality of each country. Together share successes and lessons learned when applying and creatively applying theory to practice.

We strengthen exchanges on the work of building a clean and strong Party; preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity; innovating the growth model; managing development, managing risks, and managing resources.

Second: Together build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and mutual development.

The Vietnam-Laos border has been demarcated and marked. However, the border between the two countries needs to become a bridge of friendship, a bridge between the two countries' communities, a bridge between economic corridors, a bridge between green, sustainable development spaces in harmony with nature.

The goal of building a peaceful, friendly, stable, cooperative border for mutual development is both a security and defense requirement and an opportunity for economic, cultural and social development of the two countries.

Here, solidarity is especially a "soft shield" but extremely durable: When strategic trust is strong, all plots to divide, entice, and exploit will fail.

When people on both sides of the border consider each other as comrades, brothers, friends, and trusted partners, the border becomes a belt of cooperation, a belt of development, a thread that tightens solidarity.

Third: Complement and support each other in terms of resources, assets and development space.

With a development vision, we see: Laos has the advantage of a central location on land, great potential in natural resources, green development space; Vietnam has the advantage of a long coastline, a gateway to the sea of the vast Mekong sub-region, a strong labor force, a diverse economy, and deep integration with the region and the world.

If we only develop each country individually, we will narrow our own development space. But if we supplement and link resources, many common advantages will be formed, optimizing resources to serve rapid and sustainable development.

Goods and passengers from Laos can reach the sea faster through Vietnam's seaports and border gates; Laos' electricity and renewable energy sources can connect to the regional power grid through Vietnam; the East-West and North-South economic corridors can become strategic links, expanding development space for both countries.

Here, it is not only about specific projects and works, but the core issue is that the two countries must together design a "strategic connectivity map" of development space, closely linking the planning, strategies, and socio-economic development plans of each side.

(In the period 2021 - 2025, Vietnam has helped Laos implement 25 projects with an aid capital of about 4,000 billion VND, including 6 projects on education and training; 3 projects on health; 4 projects on science and technology; 6 projects on other fields. In Laos, Vietnam has 276 projects with a registered capital of more than 6 billion USD).

V- Intellectual, theoretical and human resource training connection

Dear comrades and friends,

We are in the place of training and fostering a team of administrative officials, civil servants, those who "steer" the national governance system. For the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration and training institutions in Vietnam, I would like to emphasize the connection factor of intelligence, theory and human resources.

First: Connecting theory and administrative science: The world changes, the state governance model also changes, the state must be more flexible, more transparent, more digital; must both create development and ensure social justice; must both maintain political stability and promote innovation.

In that context, Vietnam and Laos need to share more deeply their experiences in building and perfecting the socialist rule-of-law state, administrative reform, organization of the political system, public finance management, land management, natural resources, environment, urban and rural governance, and development of remote and isolated areas.

The Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, academies, Party schools, political schools, and universities of Laos and Vietnam continue to build joint research programs, train strategic-level leaders and managers; master's and doctoral training programs, and form joint research groups on administrative reform, digital transformation in public administration, and sustainable development administration.

Second: Connecting in training cadres and nurturing the young generation: If the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos wants to be sustainable, it must be "passed on" to the younger generation, to the new generation of cadres and civil servants.

The cadres sitting in the lecture halls today will be the ones to plan and implement policies tomorrow. Your understanding of Vietnam - Laos relations will nurture and preserve the relationship between the two countries in the future.

Therefore, we need to strengthen the exchange programs of students and lecturers between the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration and training institutions in Vietnam; make more vivid the history of the close, loyal, and pure relationship between the two peoples in educational programs at all levels, in cultural works and artistic works of the two countries; strengthen the organization of youth forums and joint training courses on state governance, international relations, integration and sustainable development; encourage research works, theses and dissertations on the special Vietnam - Laos relationship, on sub-regional development linkages and on Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia cooperation.

Not only studying together, young people need to live together, work together, so that the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos becomes a life experience, to bear fruit.

(In the period 2021 - 2025, Vietnam received nearly 6,000 Lao students. In the 2024 - 2025 school year alone, the number of Lao students studying in Vietnam under the two Government scholarships is 3,417 students).

VI- Vietnam - Laos strategic solidarity in ASEAN and regional space

Dear comrades and friends,

Vietnam and Laos are not only two neighboring countries, we are also two members of a larger community: the ASEAN Community.

A stable, developed and successfully integrated Vietnam will make an important contribution to the development of Laos. Conversely, a stable, developed Laos that maintains its identity and independence will also be a support and a strategic partner for Vietnam.

In ASEAN, the common voice of Vietnam and Laos will contribute to strengthening solidarity and unity; upholding the principles of consensus and mutual respect; ensuring that ASEAN is the center of regional cooperation structures, without being divided or dragged.

In regional and international mechanisms, the coordination of stances and mutual support between Vietnam and Laos helps each country better protect its legitimate interests; create more "resonance" for the voice of a developing country; and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development of the region and the world.

And it is clear that the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos is not only "a story of two countries" but a positive factor in the security - peace - development structure of the region.

VII- Some suggestions for action

In conclusion, I would like to present a few suggestions for common action principles, which can be considered the "key" to the new phase of strategic engagement between Vietnam and Laos:

(1) Maintain strategic trust, attach great importance to special solidarity that is consistent from beginning to end. Strategic trust must be built from each specific action, from the way we handle issues of interest in a straightforward, sincere, and mutually respectful manner.

(2) We must consider special solidarity as the glue, strategic cohesion as the driving force for development; solidarity helps us survive and thrive; cohesion helps us stand firm in the increasingly fierce competition for development.

(3) Maximize mutual complementarity in terms of geo-economics, geo-politics, and geo-culture; the border is a space of development opportunities and integration.

(4) Putting people at the center of all programs, projects, and linkage policies: All roads, bridges, economic zones, development corridors, etc. are only truly meaningful if the lives of people on both sides of the border are better, youth have more opportunities, and people feel more clearly the benefits from the Vietnam-Laos brotherly relationship.

(5) To continue writing new chapters in the history of Vietnam - Laos in the language of the digital age on the foundation of Vietnam - Laos solidarity bonded by blood, sweat and tears on the battlefields of the past, today's generation needs to use knowledge, love, humanity, creativity, technology, with practical, effective, humane works and projects and especially with the passionate hearts of the young generation.

Dear comrades and friends,

Visiting the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, I felt more clearly that the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic connection between Vietnam and Laos are invaluable assets that our ancestors and previous generations of revolutionary leaders of the two countries left for us.

Therefore, we must take care to preserve, cultivate and promote this invaluable asset. It is a political responsibility, a sense of duty, an honor, a reason to live and a conscience of the two nations.

I believe that, with the mettle, intelligence, perseverance and creativity of the two Parties and States, with the aspirations of the two peoples to rise up, with the proactive and enthusiastic contributions of the team of cadres, civil servants and students being trained at the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, we will certainly enter a new phase of strategic engagement, deeper, more effective and more sustainable.

Wishing the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the State and the people of all Lao ethnic groups to develop and prosper, and for the people to be warm, happy and prosperous. Wishing the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration to continue to be a leading training and research center, worthy of the trust of the Lao Party and People.

May the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Laos remain forever green and sustainable.

I would like to sincerely thank Comrade General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, comrades and friends."

Laodong.vn

Source: https://laodong.vn/thoi-su/toan-van-phat-bieu-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tai-hoc-vien-chinh-tri-hanh-chinh-quoc-gia-lao-1618526.ldo