The event began with an official welcome ceremony for the Lao delegation at Thanh Thuy Border Gate. The delegation was led by General Khamliang Outhakaysone, Politburo member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence.
The ceremony was hosted by General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Viet Nam.
Following the welcome ceremony, the two defence ministers planted a friendship tree at Border Marker 460 and posed for commemorative photographs with members of both delegations.
As part of the exchange programme, the two leaders visited and presented gifts to officers and soldiers at Thanh Thuy Border Guard Station, attended a ceremony reviewing the twinning programme between border communities on both sides, and joined the groundbreaking ceremony for Thanh Ha Kindergarten, a project funded by Viet Nam's Ministry of National Defence. The two ministers also visited the Kim Lien Special National Relic Site before holding bilateral talks.
