Vietnam and Laos have signed a plan on cultural, arts and tourism cooperation during Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh’s visit to Laos from August 30 to September 2.

Under the 2012-2015 plan, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism will focus on celebrating important events in 2012 – the year of the Vietnam – Laos friendship and solidarity and organising exchanges to strengthen mutual understanding between the ministries.

Vietnam will train Lao cadres and students in the cultural, art and tourism sectors.

The two sides have agreed to strengthen information exchange and experience sharing in tourism, especially in accommodation management and application of common hotel rating criteria in the framework of Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cooperation.

They will boost border tourism connectivity in the GMS and ASEAN regions as well as encourage and create conditions for cultural exchanges between provinces sharing the border line.

The two ministries will submit to the two governments the building of the Lao National Arts and Music School – Phase II./.