Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with Vice President of the Lao NA Sounthone Xayachack on the sidelines of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye, on April 17.
Chairman Man congratulated Laos on the successful election of deputies to the 10th NA, the 5th provincial and municipal People’s Councils, and the completion of appointments to key state leadership posts for the new term. He also congratulated Sounthone on her election as Vice President of the 10th Lao NA.
The Vietnamese leader welcomed the steady growth of ties between the two countries and their legislatures, saying that cooperation has become increasingly close, effective and practical. He affirmed that Viet Nam’s NA highly values close coordination with its Lao counterpart in preserving and promoting the special bilateral relationship, particularly through the parliamentary channel.
He also expressed his confidence that under the leadership of the Party, effective oversight of the NA, decisive management of the Government and strong national unity, Laos will successfully implement the Resolution of the 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and its 10th five-year socio-economic development plan.
For her part, Sounthone congratulated Viet Nam on the successful 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the election of deputies to the 16th NA for the 2026–2031 term. She also congratulated Man on his election as Chairman of the 16th NA.
The Lao official said the Lao Party, State, NA and people deeply value the longstanding support of Viet Nam. She highlighted Viet Nam’s timely assistance in helping Laos maintain energy security amid severe global supply disruptions despite numerous challenges.
Both sides agreed to further deepen political ties, increase delegation exchanges, especially among parliamentary leaders, and enhance the sharing of legislative experiences. They also pledged closer supervision coordination to speed up Vietnamese investment and cooperation projects in Laos, ensuring effectiveness and progress in line with priorities set by the two Parties, States and legislatures.
