Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane agree to foster cooperation

Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and the Lao capital city of Vientiane have agreed to foster and expand their cooperation in the time ahead and to also approve cooperation orientations for the 2017-2020 period.

Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang congratulated Lao officials and dignitaries on New Year festival of Laos (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)
Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang congratulated Lao officials and dignitaries on New Year festival of Laos (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)

The agreement was reached at the talks in Vientiane on July 29 between a high-ranking delegation of Vientiane and a high-ranking delegation of Ho Chi Minh City, which was led by the permanent Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang.

The two sides agreed to increase the exchange of high-level delegations, thus speeding up the implementation of a project to raise beeves in Vientiane and also considering the provision of aid to buy equipment for a project on improving the budget collection system of Vientiane’s Finance Department and Tax Department.

The two sides also vowed to consider the possibility of constructing their trade and tourism centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane.

Ho Chi Minh City pledged to help Vientiane organise agricultural, trade and tourism promotion programmes in the Vietnamese city, provide 17 scholarships for Lao students and postgraduates, and assist Vientiane in hosting the Laos Tourism Year of 2018 and a tourism conference of Mekong River Sub-region cities.

Earlier in the same day, the Ho Chi Minh City delegation was received by permanent member of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Phankham Viphavan and Secretary of the Party Committee and Mayor of Vientiane Sinlavong Khoutphaythoun.

At these meetings, the Lao leaders spoke highly of cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane. The leaders also asked the two cities to create favourable conditions for their businesses in order to deepen Laos-Vietnam relations.