Deputy General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Nguyen Hoai Duong on Nov. 8 met with Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala as part of his working visit to Laos from Nov. 7-11.

Minister Bosengkham Vongdala was full of praise for VNA’s assistance to the Lao news agency (KPL).

He asked VNA to continue its support in personnel training and technology and also to help the Lao side open a press representative office in Hanoi soon.

For his part, Duong informed his host of results of his talks with KPL General Director Khamsen Phongsa, during which the two sides reached a cooperative agreement for 2012.

Both sides highly valued the implementation of cooperative agreements in various areas such as sharing news articles and photos, the exchange of high-ranking delegations and journalists, and especially the publication of a book titled “VNA and KPL – years of mutual development” and VNA’s launch of its Lao language webpage, Duong said.

In 2012, VNA will help Laos improve technical infrastructure, print the Lao Pictorial magazine and develop human resources, Duong said, adding that the two sides agreed to increase information promoting the land and people of each country as well as cooperative activities in economics, trade, culture, arts and sport between the two countries.

Duong took the occasion to introduce VNA’s diverse information channels to Minister Bosengkham Vongdala, expressing his hope that the Lao minister will help VNA Television Channel (Vnews) soon be included in the Lao cable television system, beefing up cooperation between the two news agencies and the two countries’ special relations./.