Lao Ambassador highlights National Assembly’s role in Viet Nam’s integration

Voters nationwide exercise their civic rights on March 15, 2026, by casting ballots to elect deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term. On this occasion, a reporter from Nhan Dan Newspaper held an interview with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Ambassador to Viet Nam, Khamphao Ernthavanh, about the significance of this important political event.

Vietnamese 16th NA continues to promote role as representative of people

According to Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh, the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term is a process through which the Vietnamese people directly exercise their democratic rights, choosing those whom they trust to have the qualifications, capabilities, and qualities to represent them in the highest state authority and local authorities. Through this process, it will continue contributing to the improvement and consolidation of the organisational apparatus as well as the contingent of officials within the political system from the central to the local levels.

This election takes place as Viet Nam is vigorously implementing the strategic objectives set out at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, aiming to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed high-income country by 2045, marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnamese State.

In recent years, Viet Nam has achieved many impressive accomplishments, particularly in the economic field. Despite complicated fluctuations in the global geopolitical situation and challenges posed by natural disasters, the Vietnamese economy in 2025 recorded a strong breakthrough with GDP growth reaching 8.02%, confirming its leading position in terms of growth in Southeast Asia. The country’s GDP in 2025 officially exceeded 500 billion USD. These results provide an important foundation for Viet Nam to continue promoting development strategies such as digital transformation, green economic development, improving labour productivity, and fostering innovation.

Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh said that the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term also carries important significance in consolidating political stability and strengthening people’s confidence in the political system, particularly as the world is experiencing complex developments, including strategic competition among major powers, regional conflicts, and many global challenges such as climate change, energy security, and food security. In this context, maintaining a stable political environment and an effective governance system is of special importance.

“I believe that the 16th NA and the People’s Councils at all levels of Viet Nam in the new term will continue to promote their role as representatives of the people, supervising and promoting the implementation of development plans and state policies, thereby helping Viet Nam achieve its development goals and further enhance its role in international integration, particularly within the ASEAN Community and free trade agreements,” Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh stated.

Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh expressed confidence that the election on March 15 will be a great success, making an important contribution to helping Viet Nam maintain political stability, sustain dynamic development, and deepen integration with the region and the world, while contributing positively to peace, stability, and cooperation for development in the region and globally.

Vietnamese 16th NA continues to play an important role in promoting parliamentary cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos

Regarding the bilateral relations between Laos and Viet Nam, Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh affirmed that the special solidarity, great friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic partnership between the two countries have continued to be strengthened and developed across all fields in recent years. Among these, an important contribution has come through cooperation between the National Assembly of Laos and the National Assembly of Viet Nam.

Reviewing achievements in cooperation between the National Assemblies of Laos and Viet Nam, Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh noted that in recent years bilateral cooperation between the two legislatures has continued to be maintained and strengthened through high-level visits, exchanges of delegations between committees of the two National Assemblies, and the sharing of experience in legislative activities and decision-making on important national issues.

Typical examples include the exchange of experience in amending the Constitution and the legal system, cooperation in training officials for the Lao National Assembly Office, and technical support in legislative work, supervision, and decision-making on national policies, along with many other areas of cooperation.

In addition, the two sides have closely coordinated at regional and international parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), thereby helping to promote a common regional voice for peace and development.

Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh expressed confidence that the 16th NA and the People’s Councils at all levels of Viet Nam in the new term will continue to play an important role in promoting increasingly substantive and effective parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, while strengthening supervisory activities and improving policies to facilitate economic development, trade, investment, infrastructure connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

“Based on the special relationship and the high level of political trust between the two Parties, the two States, and the peoples of the two countries, I believe that the National Assemblies of the two countries will continue to coordinate closely, contributing to strengthening comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Viet Nam for the practical benefit of the peoples of the two countries, as well as for peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and the world,” Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh emphasised.