NA Chairman’s visit reflects Vietnam’s special political trust with Laos: Lao newspaper

PathetLao Daily, a publication of the Lao News Agency, ran an article on May 13 about the upcoming visit by Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, saying the trip reflects the Vietnamese Party and State’s respect for the ties and special political trust with Laos.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) welcomes his Lao counterpart Xaysomphone Phomvihane during the latter's official visit to Vietnam from December 6 to 8, 2021. (Photo: VNA)
NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) welcomes his Lao counterpart Xaysomphone Phomvihane during the latter's official visit to Vietnam from December 6 to 8, 2021. (Photo: VNA)

The top legislator of Vietnam will pay an official visit to Laos from May 15 to 17 at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Xaysomphone Phomvihane.

In the article on the front page, the newspaper said this is the first official visit to Laos by a key leader of Vietnam in the Laos - Vietnam Year of Solidarity and Friendship 2022, and also the first by Hue as Chairman of the Vietnamese NA. Hue is also the first foreign parliamentary leader to visit Laos since the country’s 11th National Party Congress and the 9th-tenure NA’s first session.

The visit takes place amid a number of important activities being held in the Solidarity and Friendship Year to mark the 60th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and 45 years since the signing of the Laos - Vietnam Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

PathetLao Daily noted the visit not only affirms the two countries’ consistent foreign policy of treasuring and unceasingly developing their great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation, but also demonstrates the specialness of the bilateral relations, showing efforts by the two Parties and States to maintain the development trend in their ties.

The daily stressed that the special Laos - Vietnam ties have become an exemplary, faithful, and pure relationship that is rare in the world and a priceless common asset of the two peoples.

Highlighting the unceasingly consolidated political and diplomatic links in the recent past, it wrote that the two NAs’ relations have continued to be promoted effectively via both in-person and videoconference formats, greatly contributing to overall bilateral connections.

In particular, the two sides worked closely together in the construction of the new NA building for Laos, which was a gift from the Vietnamese Party, State, and people to their counterparts and inaugurated in August 2021.

They have also maintained strong cooperation at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums such as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and the Asia - Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), according to PathetLao Daily.

It affirmed that the visit by NA Chairman Hue will help further intensify the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two parliaments as well as between the countries as a whole.