The visit paid by Tran Thanh Man — leading a high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Party and State — to Comrade Saysomphone Phomvihane reflected deep sorrow over the passing of the leader, who played a pivotal role in inheriting, nurturing, and developing the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic bond between Viet Nam and Laos and who always accorded special priority and deep affection to the Viet Nam-Laos relationship.
This gesture demonstrated the shared sentiments of the Party, State, National Assembly, and people of Viet Nam regarding the immense loss suffered by the Party, State, National Assembly, and people of Laos, as well as the family of Comrade Saysomphone Phomvihane.
It also conveyed a message regarding the importance Viet Nam attaches to consolidating political trust and continuing to promote the excellent cooperative ties between the parties, states, and national assemblies of Viet Nam and Laos.
Saysomphone Phomvihane was born on December 12, 1956, into a family with a proud revolutionary tradition. He received formal training in political economy. From 1983 to 1984, he served as a lecturer at the National Academy of Politics and Administration in Vientiane.
Between 1984 and 1987, he pursued doctoral studies at the National Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow (formerly the Soviet Union), where he successfully defended his thesis in political economy. He is fluent in both Russian and Vietnamese.
Saysomphone Phomvihane joined the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party in 1976. His career has spanned most key sectors of the Lao state apparatus.
Following his service in Savannakhet Province (1987–1995), he held a succession of important positions: Minister of Finance (1995–1998); Minister and Head of the Prime Minister’s Office (1998–2001); Chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of the National Assembly Standing Committee (2001–2006); Vice President of the National Assembly (2006–2016); President of the Lao Front for National Construction (2016–2020); and President of the National Assembly of Laos (March 2021–present).
He was elected to the Politburo in January 2016 and continued to enjoy the Party’s confidence through subsequent terms.
Serving in roles ranging from local government and the executive and legislative branches to the National Front equipped Saysomphone Phomvihane with a comprehensive perspective on national governance, particularly in the areas of finance, institutional building, national unity, and the organisation of the state apparatus.
As President of the National Assembly, he consistently focused on enhancing the quality of legislative work, supreme oversight, and decision-making regarding the country's vital issues.
He directed efforts to refine the legal framework to support socio-economic development, improve the investment climate, address economic challenges, and advance the construction of a socialist rule-of-law state in Laos.
He also placed special emphasis on strengthening coordination between the Lao National Assembly and Government in managing finance, the budget, and public investment, as well as in implementing national development programmes.
Furthermore, Saysomphone Phomvihane made significant contributions to parliamentary diplomacy, helping to elevate the role and standing of the Lao National Assembly within the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and other regional and international parliamentary forums.
He views parliamentary diplomacy as a crucial channel for consolidating political trust, expanding cooperation, and enhancing Laos's international profile.
With nearly 40 years of continuous service in leadership roles ranging from the local to the central level — and possessing extensive, diverse experience across finance, economics, mass mobilisation, the Lao Front for National Construction, foreign affairs, and legislation — Saysomphone Phomvihane was regarded as a talented and highly respected leader of the Lao Party and State who made significant contributions to the nation's construction and development.
Saysomphone Phomvihane was the eldest son of President Kaysone Phomvihane — an outstanding leader of the Lao revolution, the founder and architect of the Lao State, and a key figure in laying the foundation for the special relationship between Viet Nam and Laos.
Upholding his family’s revolutionary tradition and cherishing deep affection for Viet Nam, Comrade Saysomphone Phomvihane attached great importance to preserving and fostering the special relationship between the two parties, states, and peoples of Viet Nam and Laos.
Within a meeting held on the occasion of General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to Laos in February 2026, National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane emphasised that, regardless of how the situation evolves, the great relationship and solidarity between Laos and Viet Nam will remain steadfast.
In his capacity as President of the Central Committee of the Lao Front for National Construction and subsequently as President of the National Assembly, he made significant contributions to promoting cooperation between the National Assemblies of Viet Nam and Laos, as well as between the Lao Front for National Construction and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front.
Under the leadership of Comrade Saysomphone Phomvihane, the two National Assemblies maintained regular high-level visits and contacts; enhanced exchanges between specialised committees and parliamentary friendship groups; and coordinated closely at AIPA, the IPU, and other multilateral parliamentary forums.
These efforts have helped consolidate the political foundation, strengthen strategic trust, and render an increasingly substantive, effective, and profound cooperative relationship between the two legislatures.
He consistently emphasised the effective implementation of agreements reached by the high-level leadership of both parties and states; the sharing of experiences regarding law-making, supreme oversight, and decision-making on major national issues; and the promotion of cooperation in economics, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
The illustrious career and enduring contributions to Viet Nam-Laos relations of Saysomphone Phomvihane — a close friend of the Vietnamese people — will forever endure.
His legacy in building a socialist rule-of-law state, enhancing the National Assembly’s operational effectiveness, promoting parliamentary diplomacy, and nurturing the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic bond between Viet Nam and Laos serves as a powerful source of inspiration, motivating the younger generations of both nations to strive to uphold and carry forward the glorious tradition of Viet Nam-Laos friendship.
