Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – A delegation from Champasak province of Laos paid a working visit to Ho Chi Minh City from August 9-12, during which the two sides held talks and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation for 2026-2030, seeking to further strengthen their close, enduring and strategically significant ties.
Under the MoU signed on August 11, the two sides agreed to enhance exchanges, share development experience, and expand cooperation in trade, investment and tourism. They will also promote collaboration in education and human resources development, and step up people-to-people diplomacy and socio-cultural exchanges.
The two sides agreed to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, including between agencies, sectors and socio-political organisations, to foster mutual understanding, share experience and advance cooperation in areas of common interest. They will also strengthen exchanges on Party building, State management, youth affairs, cultural heritage preservation and promotion, and sports.
Cooperation priorities for the 2026-2030 period will cover trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, finance, education and human resources training, and socio-cultural affairs, with a focus on business connectivity, trade and investment promotion, tourism development, and support for education and human resources training.
At the talks ahead of the signing ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Loc Ha and Deputy Secretary of the Champasak provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial Administrative Committee Souksavanh Vilayvong reviewed the implementation of the MoU in the 2022-2025 period, noting that bilateral ties have developed across multiple fields.
They agreed that the positive outcomes achieved over the past five years provided an important foundation for a new phase of more substantive, effective and sustainable cooperation, bringing practical benefits to businesses and people while contributing to the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos.
The two sides will coordinate activities marking the 65th anniversary of Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2027, and study a project to build a Red Square in Champasak as a symbol of friendship between the two localities.
During their stay in Ho Chi Minh City, the Champasak delegation visited and toured the city’s Public Administration Service Centre and Smart Urban Operations Centre, as well as several historical and cultural sites./.
VNA
