Vietnamese, Lao PMs visit Star Telecom, join Tet celebration in Vientiane

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith visited telecommunications company Star Telecom, a joint venture between Lao Asia Telecom and Vietnam’s Viettel Group, on February 4.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith join delegates at the inauguration ceremony for the Unitel Building. (Photo: NDO)
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith join delegates at the inauguration ceremony for the Unitel Building. (Photo: NDO)

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PM Phuc praised Star Telecom for actively developing its infrastructure system, especially the construction and early deployment of a 4G network in Laos. He also highly appreciated the success of mobile operator Unitel, which is a trademark of Star Telecom, through the highly positive indicators of turnover and the development of its telecommunications infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Star Telecom should further expand its participation in building smart cities and e-government if required by the Lao government, he said, adding that the company should continue to make important contributions to the development of Laos’ science and technology sector.

PM Sisoulith expressed his joy and welcomed the achievements in the business of Star Telecom for becoming one of the largest contributors to the budget and positively contributing to the socio-economic development of Laos.

He congratulated Star Telecom on its new headquarters, one of the most beautiful buildings in the country, and expressed his hope that the company would continue to achieve more in production and business in the future.

The Unitel Building (Star Telecom headquarters) is located on the main road in the centre of Vientiane, with 11 floors. Construction began in May 2015 with a total investment of about US$12 million.

According to Cao Anh Son, CEO of Star Telecom, in nine years of business, Unitel has become the leading telecom operator in Laos for seven consecutive years with 2.8 million customers, accounting for 52% of the market share. It has the largest network infrastructure with 6,000 2G/3G/4G stations, covering 95% of the country.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith join a celebration for Tet festival in Vientiane. (Photo: NDO)

The same day, the two PMs joined about 1,000 Vietnamese people in Laos at a celebration for the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival in Vientiane.

Welcoming the Lao PM and his wife’s presence at the celebration, PM Phuc stressed that the Vietnam-Laos special friendship is a rare commodity in the world, going through not only the past struggle for national independence but also the current national construction in each country.

The PM also proposed that the Lao side continue supporting overseas Vietnamese in Laos, creating optimal conditions for them to live and work in the country on a long-term basis.

For his part, Lao PM Thongloun Sisoulith conveyed his New Year wishes to PM Phuc, the national leaders of Vietnam and all Vietnamese people.

He expressed his belief that the friendship between the two Parties, States and people would continue thriving.

Earlier the same day, PM Phuc had a meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy’s officials and the Vietnamese community in Laos.