The visit to Laos is taking place in the context that the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos are continuing to develop well. The close and trusting political relations have continued to be strengthened. The two sides successfully organised the annual meeting between the two politburos and held the 46th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Vietnam-Laos Bilateral Cooperation in early 2024. The two sides also regularly exchange high-level and all-level delegations, thus strengthening the exchange of theories and experiences in party building, socio-economic development, and international integration.
Economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Laos continues to record positive changes. Bilateral trade turnover in the first five months of 2024 reached 779.6 million USD, an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2023. Regarding investment, Vietnam currently has 241 valid projects with total registered capital of more than 5.5 billion USD, maintaining the third position among countries and territories investing in Laos. The two sides have also coordinated closely inimplementing Vietnam's official development assistance (ODA) projects for Laos. Defence-security cooperation has continued to be strengthened in both quality and quantity, through actively implementing signed protocols and cooperation plans. The fields of transport cooperation, education-training, culture, people-to-people exchange, etc., have been given due attention and promoted.
The two countries have coordinated closely on regional and international issues of mutual concern and supported each other at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, ASEAN and sub-regional mechanisms. Vietnam has actively supported Laos to successfully fulfil its role as ASEAN Chairman in 2024 and Chairman of the 45th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).
Meanwhile, the good neighbourly relations, time-honoured friendship, and comprehensive and long-term sustainable cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia have been firmly maintained. Party-channel cooperation has played a core role in guiding the relationship between the two countries. The two sides have maintained many high-level contact activities, including meetings between the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Standing Committee of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Important bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been organised regularly and promoted effectively.
In the areas of cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, economics, trade and investment are bright spots. Vietnam is currently Cambodia’s third largest trading partner in the world and the largest in ASEAN. Bilateral trade turnover reached about 3.9 billion USD in the first four months of 2024, an increase of 16.8% compared to the same period in 2023. Vietnam currently has 205 valid investment projects in Cambodia with total registered capital of 2.94 billion USD, ranking first in ASEAN as well as among the five countries with the largest direct investment in Cambodia, while Cambodia ranked second among countries and territories with investments from Vietnam.
Defence-security cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia is growing increasingly close and substantive. Cooperation in education, transportation, culture-society, tourism, science-technology has received attention and been promoted. Exchanges and cooperation between mass organisations and people’s organisations have been maintained and there are innovations in form. The two countries have coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, ASEAN and sub-regional mechanisms.
Based on the achievements of cooperation between Vietnam and two neighbouring countries Laos and Cambodia, President To Lam’s visit will contribute to promoting and implementing high-level agreements, especially the results of the annual meetings between the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and with the CPP Standing Committee and meetings between the heads of the three Parties of Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia.
In order to implement the foreign policy of the 13th Party Congress, the visit affirmed that Vietnam gives high priority to friendly neighbourly relations and traditional friends with Laos and Cambodia. For Laos, the visit demonstrates Vietnam’s strong support for the cause of innovation, protecting and building the Country of a Million Elephants, continuing to cultivate strategic trust between the two parties and states. For the Land of Khmer Pagodas, the visit contributes to strengthening the strategic trust between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the CPP as well as between the two countries’ senior leaders, especially in the context of Cambodia's new leadership apparatus.
May President To Lam’s state visits to Laos and Cambodia be crowned great successes, bringing relations between Vietnam and Laos and Cambodia into a new stage of development, continuing to consolidate strategic trust, strengthen solidarity, and deepen Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia relations, as well as contributing to regional and ASEAN cooperation.
