Lao leaders say goodbye to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who concludes Laos visit on November 26 (Photo: VNA) According to Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Governor of Bolikhamsai Kongkeo Saysongkham, the province has a total area of nearly 17,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 172,000 people.
Last year, it recorded a GDP growth of 8 percent with per capita income of 1,900 USD per annum. In 2016, the province has 225 licenced investment projects worth 130 billion kip (15.92 million USD) in total.
It has more than 1,600 hectares of rice and over 26,000 hectares of other crops. Its import-export revenue hit more than 160 million USD.
Currently, Bolikhamsai has set up partnerships with Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, Da Nang city and a number of other localities of Vietnam. They have regularly held meetings to exchange experience in socio-economic development, poverty reduction, human resources development as well as Party building and security-defence.
Sixteen Vietnamese firms are investing in Bolikhamsai, mostly in mining, restaurant, hotel and agricultural product processing.
At a meeting with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Saysongkham thanked the Party, State and people of Vietnam for providing the province with timely and effective support over the past years.
The Vietnamese Party leader hailed Bolikhamsai’s sound relationship with Vietnamese localities.
He briefed the host on the outcomes of his meetings with the Lao Party and State leaders, expressing delight at the growth of the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides affirmed their determination to further bolster the bilateral ties, he added.
The Party chief said he hopes Bolikhamsai and Vietnamese localities, especially those along the shared border, will strengthen cooperation and mutual support in all fields, contributing to the development of the Vietnam-Laos relations.
He expressed belief that the Lao province will make greater achievements in the future, fulfilling the targets set by the provincial Party Congress.
On the occasion, he announced the construction of a high school as a present to Bolikhamsai. He also joined the thread tightening ceremony, a traditional practice of Laos to pray for peace and prosperity of both countries.
He also paid a floral tribute to Xixomphon Lovanxay, one of the first members of Laos’ revolution, at his monument.
The same day, the Party chief and the Vietnamese delegation left Bolikhamsai for Hanoi, concluding his three-day official visit to Laos.-VNA
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