The construction of another ten houses within a youth friendship village along the Laos-Vietnam border began on April 8.

Vietnam invested almost 3 billion VND (138,250 USD) to build and equip necessary facilities for the houses, each of which is 60 square metres in size.

The same day, 20 medical personnel from central Ha Tinh province offered free examinations and medication to 300 village locals. A training course on modern farming techniques was also offered to the young residents.

Covering 1,034 hectares in four villages of Khamkout district in Laos’ central province of Bolikhamsay, the youth friendship village was funded by non-refundable aid from the Vietnamese Government.

Construction began in August 2012 with a total investment of nearly 40 billion VND (1.84 million USD). The village comprises a 1,900 square-metre community centre, student accommodation and a medical station, along with other support facilities.

Vocational training courses and long-term settlement have been made available to a number of Lao youths, boosting socio-economic growth, ensuring security-defence and establishing new residential areas for sustainable development.

The State-owned Vietnam Rubber Group has thus far planted 400 hectares of rubber trees at the site in a bid to create additional jobs for locals.-VNA