A ceremony was organised in Hanoi on Oct. 30 to celebrate the 60th traditional day of the volunteer Vietnamese soldiers and expert force that came to the aid of Laos during the war.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and State President Nguyen Minh Triet were prominent amongst those at the event.

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and State President of Laos Choummaly Sayasone sent a letter to the ceremony, noting that Vietnam’s decision to establish the volunteer force 60 years ago reflects a noble communist international spirit and constitutes the symbol of special solidarity and friendship between the two nations.

The Lao leader expressed sincere thanks to the Party, State, army and people of Vietnam for their whole-hearted and effective assistance extended to the Lao people during the struggle for national independence, construction and development.

He reiterated the words of the late Party General Secretary Kaysone Phomvihane, “Vietnam’s support is one of the decisive factors for the success of the Lao revolution. On all battlefields of our beloved country, the bones and blood of volunteer Vietnamese soldiers are mixed with bones and blood of Lao officers and soldiers.”

In his speech at the ceremony, Minister of National Defence General Phung Quang Thanh said the history cemented the Vietnam-Laos relationship that has been nurtured and reinforced by the two Parties, the States, President Ho Chi Minh, and President Kaysone Phomvihane, as well as generations of leaders and people of both countries.

The Party, the State and people of Vietnam consider solidarity and mutual assistance with their Lao counterparts during the struggle for national liberation both an international duty and a vital benefit for each nation, the minister stressed.

Politburo member and Head of the Steering Committee for Ideology, Theory and Culture of the LPRP Central Committee, Saman Vinhakhet handed over a Gold Order, the noblest award conferred by the Lao State, to the volunteer force.

On this occasion, a wide range of activities were organised throughout Laos to mark the event, attracting the participation of large numbers of officials, soldiers, residents and overseas Vietnamese in the country./.