As the two countries enter a new phase of development, they must fully leverage their valuable assets and solid foundations to elevate economic, trade, and investment ties to a level commensurate with their political relations, thereby delivering tangible benefits to their citizens.
The official visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held special significance, marking a new stage of development and reaffirming the high priority the Party, State, and Government of Viet Nam place on their neighbour.
It contributed to further deepening the relationship of “great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic linkage” between Viet Nam and Laos. This is Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s first official visit to Laos, taking place just days after Laos consolidated its leadership and Saleumxay Kommasith assumed the role of Prime Minister.
The Government and people of Laos extended a warm and fraternal welcome to Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and the high-level Vietnamese delegation from the moment the Vietnamese leader stepped onto the tarmac at Wattay International Airport. Large numbers of Lao students, waving the national flags of both countries, enthusiastically welcomed the delegation.
The official welcoming ceremony was hosted by Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith. Right in the lobby of the Lao Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith warmly welcomed Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, transcending standard diplomatic protocols to greet him with a fraternal warmth.
In this spirit, the two heads of government entered into official talks characterised by fraternal comradeship, mutual understanding, and deep political trust. The two Prime Ministers focused their discussions on — and agreed to — continued efforts to achieve breakthroughs and enhance the complementarity and connectivity of their economies.
They agreed to encourage investment in high-value-added sectors; promote connectivity in transport, infrastructure, logistics, and border crossings; and coordinate the development of a roadmap and specific priority lists aimed at raising bilateral trade turnover to 5 billion USD, with a view towards reaching 10 billion USD annually in the near future.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung strongly affirmed Viet Nam’s readiness to stand with and support Laos to the best of its ability, particularly by sharing expertise in macroeconomic management, finance and budgeting, institutional reform, infrastructure development, and human resource training.
The two Prime Ministers also agreed to instruct their Deputy Prime Ministers and the leaders of ministries, sectors, and localities to take decisive and proactive action in resolving all difficulties and obstacles facing bilateral cooperation projects.
During a meeting between Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, both sides reaffirmed the consistent policy and highest priority each country accords to preserving and nurturing the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic bond between Viet Nam and Laos.
They emphasised the special, enduring fraternal relationship between the two Parties, States, and peoples, who are working together to build and share development opportunities.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung strongly affirmed that Viet Nam will do its utmost, together with Laos, to preserve, nurture, and pass on to future generations the faithful and close-knit relationship between the two nations, regarding this as a strategic task of special importance to the security and development of each country.
Viet Nam will do its utmost, together with Laos, to preserve, nurture, and pass on to future generations the steadfast and close-knit relationship between the two nations, regarding this as a strategic task of special importance to the security and development of each country.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung
The determination of high-ranking leaders from both Viet Nam and Laos has inspired the business communities of both nations, a fact clearly demonstrated when the two Prime Ministers co-chaired the Viet Nam–Laos Investment Promotion Conference. The vast auditorium of the Lao National Convention Center was filled with representatives from thousands of businesses, all driven by a resolve to foster comprehensive economic connectivity.
This commitment was evidenced by the presentation of 17 investment certificates, memoranda of understanding, and cooperation agreements — collectively valued at approximately 5 billion USD — in the presence of the two Prime Ministers.
At the conference, the focus extended beyond mere networking and opportunity exploration; the parties actively sought to transform potential and opportunities into concrete cooperation programmes and projects.
Proposals addressed specific difficulties and obstacles directly, while simultaneously offering practical solutions to resolve them. The Government, the Prime Minister, and various ministries, sectors, and localities are actively working to support the business community.
Statistics presented at the event delighted the attendees: in 2025, two-way trade turnover between Viet Nam and Laos reached nearly 3 billion USD — a 32.7% increase and an all-time high. Laos remains Viet Nam’s largest destination for outbound investment, hosting over 300 projects with a total registered capital exceeding 7 billion USD.
In the first nine months of 2026 alone, 24 new projects worth 670 million USD were registered — a 1.7-fold increase compared to the same period in 2025. The two sides are actively advancing strategic infrastructure connectivity projects, such as the Ha Noi–Vientiane expressway, the Vientiane–Vung Ang railway, the Vung Ang port, cross-border petroleum storage and pipeline systems, and cooperation in the power sector.
Viet Nam is accelerating progress to complete the Vinh–Thanh Thuy expressway ahead of schedule. The Prime Minister noted that projects undertaken by Vietnamese enterprises have created jobs and boosted incomes for hundreds of thousands of Lao workers, while contributing an average of approximately 300 million USD annually to the Lao state budget.
Addressing a large gathering of the business communities from both nations, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung affirmed that the high-level leadership of both sides consistently views economic, trade, and investment cooperation as a solid pillar commensurate with the stature of their special relationship.
This event served as a crucial opportunity to operationalise agreements reached by high-level leaders — particularly the goal of achieving a bilateral trade volume of 10 billion USD by 2030 — and to discuss solutions for deepening and enhancing the substance and effectiveness of investment cooperation for the 2026–2030 period.
Emphasising that the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive, strategic cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos constitute an invaluable asset for both Parties, States, and peoples, the Prime Minister highlighted the responsibility of the current generation to transform this political asset into a new driver of development. The message conveyed by the Vietnamese Government leader was met with enthusiastic applause from the entire audience.
Lao media outlets extensively covered the Vietnamese Government leader’s official visit to Laos, publishing numerous articles that praised Viet Nam’s socio-economic development achievements and highlighted the bright prospects for a friendship and cooperation that is becoming increasingly substantive and profound.
Officials and scholars from Laos frequently gave interviews to the press in both countries, underscoring the significant importance of the visit. Although Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s official visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic lasted less than 24 hours and involved a packed schedule, it was highly effective and a resounding success.
It left a deep impression on Lao friends, showcasing a Viet Nam that remains steadfastly loyal — a true companion sharing both joys and hardships throughout the two nations’ journeys toward independence and national development.
