Grand welcome ceremony for Lao leader in Hanoi

The three-day visit is from December 19 made at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang with a view to promoting the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. This is the second official friendly visit of the Lao leader during his tenure (2016-2021). The visit is also expected to strengthen solidarity and political trust between the two Parties and countries. This is also a chance for Vietnam to affirm support to Laos during its cause of national defence and development. The Vietnam-Laos relationship has been growing in all fields. Bilateral political relations have been promoted, with high-level meetings regularly organised and collaboration mechanisms constantly strengthened. Both sides have worked together closely in popularising the Vietnam-Laos ties and holding celebrations of the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and 40 years of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. Defence-security and external relation partnership has been fruitful. Vietnam and Laos have coordinated to build a shared border of stability and sustainable development. They have completed a joint project to upgrade and build more border markers, with 1,002 markers upgraded and built. The two countries' governments have also finalised legal procedures for a protocol on land border. Two-way trade reached 720.4 million USD this year to October, up 8.7 percent over the same period last year, with Vietnam's exports hitting 426.2 million USD, a year on year rise of 12.4 percent. After the welcome ceremony, Vietnamese and Lao leaders held talks.

(Source: VNA)