Politburo Member and Standing Member of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu received Politburo Member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and National Assembly (NA) President Sonexay Siphandone in Ha Noi on November 3, during the latter’s official visit to Viet Nam.
The key Vietnamese leader warmly welcomed Sonexay and the high-ranking Lao NA delegation, congratulating him on his election as President of the 10th-tenure NA of Laos. He expressed confidence that Sonexay would continue making important contributions to Laos’s national construction and development and to strengthening bilateral ties.
Tu also congratulated the Lao Party, State and people on their significant achievements over more than 50 years of national development and 40 years of renewal. He expressed his belief that, under the leadership of the LPRP, and with the determination and efforts of the entire Party and people, together with the contributions of the NA, Laos would successfully implement the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress and the 10th five-year socio-economic development plan.
Affirming that the Vietnamese Party and State always attach importance and give top priority to relations with Laos, Tu reiterated Viet Nam’s consistent support for Laos’s renewal, national construction and defence, and its readiness to stand alongside and support the Lao Party, State and people under all circumstances.
He welcomed the positive development of the Viet Nam-Laos relationship, founded on the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion. He noted that the elevation of bilateral ties to strategic cohesion reflected the long-term vision, political resolve and profound trust between the two countries’ senior leaders, providing a foundation for deeper, more practical and effective cooperation.
Highlighting the strategic role of Party-to-Party ties in guiding the overall bilateral relations, Tu called for stronger information exchange and experience sharing between advisory agencies of the two Parties, particularly in Party building, organisation, personnel affairs, inspection and supervision, and political system building.
For his part, Sonexay thanked Tu for receiving the delegation and conveyed greetings from Vilay Lakhamphong, Standing Member of the LPRP Central Committee’s Secretariat, and other Lao senior leaders to Tu and Vietnamese leaders.
He briefed Tu on the outcomes of his talks with NA President Tran Thanh Man and key orientations agreed upon to further deepen and improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the two legislatures.
Sonexay spoke highly of the comprehensive cooperation achieved between the two countries, including the implementation of key joint projects that have contributed significantly to Laos’s development. He affirmed that the special Viet Nam-Laos relationship, established by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both countries, has continuously grown and become an invaluable asset and a vital factor in their continued existence and development.
Appreciating the outcomes of the talks between the two NA leaders, Tu reaffirmed Viet Nam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to and giving top priority to consolidating and developing the bilateral ties. He stressed that the two countries have always stood shoulder to shoulder as comrades and brothers, sharing both joys and hardships.
He called on the two Parties and legislatures to maintain high-level exchanges, make effective use of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and promote the role of their respective NAs in improving institutions and establishing a solid legal foundation for comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion.
Both leaders agreed to effectively implement high-level agreements between the two Parties and States and expand cooperation between localities, particularly those along the shared border. They highlighted the need to link economic, trade and investment cooperation with defence, security and border safety; strengthen infrastructure, transport and border trade connectivity; and promote people-to-people exchanges.
They also underscored the importance of personnel training and capacity building, as well as the effective organisation of activities marking the Viet Nam-Laos Year of Friendship and Solidarity 2027. These activities should be practical, solemn and politically meaningful, with broad public outreach, helping educate younger generations about the great friendship and special solidarity between the two Parties, States and people of Viet Nam and Laos.
Both leaders expressed confidence that the Viet Nam-Laos relationship would continue to develop in an increasingly profound, practical and effective manner, particularly in economic cooperation, thereby bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries.
