Hailing new progress in coordination between the two ministries, Dung said both sides have facilitated visits by officials and held a conference in June 2019 to share professional expertise.
The Vietnamese side will offer all possible support to share experience at the ministry and even to the department level with Lao counterparts, he said.
Siphandone, for his part, suggested focusing on signed agreements and providing training for Lao officials at departments and localities.
He expressed hope that ties between the two ministries will be further deepened, thus improving the quality of consultation to the two Governments.
Two-way trade between Vietnam and Laos topped US$1 billion USD last year. The eight-month figure was US$748 million, up 14.2 percent annually.
Vietnam’s exports to Laos reached US$405 million during the period, up around 18.8 percent while imports neared US$260 million, marking a 5.2 percent increase from the same period last year.
Vietnam remains the third largest foreign investor in Laos. According to the Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam invested in 411 projects with a total registered capital of US$4.22 billion in Laos as of June 2019, mostly in hydropower, mining, services, agriculture and telecommunications.
The Vietnamese associations have so far been established in 12 out of the 18 Lao cities and provinces.
