Vietnam prioritises cooperation with Laos, Cambodia

Vietnam has given top priorities to enhancing its cooperation with Laos and Cambodia , a senior official has affirmed.
Vietnam has given top priorities to enhancing its cooperation with Laos and Cambodia , a senior official has affirmed.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Van Trung made theremark before the fourth tourism-investment-trade promotion conferenceof the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Development Triangle to be held in Vietnam’s Central Highland province of Dak Lak on November 11.

He emphasised that Vietnam enjoys close cooperation from Lao andCambodian people in the course of building and defending the countryand that the time-honoured friendship and strategic partnership bondedthe three countries have been growing unceasingly.

Trung pointed to the establishment of a coordination committee for theDevelopment Triangle as an indication of the three countries’determination to further their economic, investment, trade and culturalexchange.

According to the Vietnamese official, officials and experts of thethree countries have worked hard in negotiations to push up cooperationprogrammes set forth by the Coordination Committee.

He expressed his belief that more joint policies will be adoptedalongside a greater number of joint investment, trade and tourismpromotion activities to be held facilitating business and investmentdeals among businesspeople of the three countries.

According to official statistics, Vietnam is the largest foreigninvestor in Laos with a combined registered capital of 1.4 billion USDand also a big investor in Cambodia having poured some 600 million USDin the neighbouring country.

Vietnam is also home to eight projects capitalising at 48 millionUSD from Laos and seven projects from Cambodia valued at over 6.2million USD.

In 2008, Vietnam was the second largest exporter of goods to Cambodia ,mainly petroleum, steel and iron, fertiliser, textile and garment andfood. The two countries’ trade turnover rose 37 percent to 1.6 billionUSD in 2008 and is expected to reach 2 billion USD in 2010.

Vietnam ’s trade with Laos has also risen year on year, hitting 455 million USD in 2008.

Vietnam exports to Laos mainly garment and textile, footwear, plasticproducts, rice, computer, electronic products and components, andelectrical wire and cable and imports timber and wood furniture,ordinary metal, completed-assembled vehicles, and tobacco.

The Vietnamese and Lao trade ministries have set to raise the twocountries’ two-way trade value to 1 billion USD in 2010, 2 billion USDin 2015, and 4 billion USD in 2020./.

See more

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (right) and President of Panama José Raúl Mulino at their meeting in Hanoi on October 6. (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese, Panamanian leaders hold talks in Hanoi

General Secretary and President Lam believed that the two countries will continue tapping their potential for cooperation in trade, agriculture, maritime affairs, aviation, logistics and digital transformation, thus making bilateral ties more substantive, effective and sustainable for the benefit of their people and contributing to peace, cooperation and development in both regions.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and his spouse welcome Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and his spouse (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Panama cast themselves as gateways between Southeast Asia and Latin America

In his speech, General Secretary and President Lam stressed that Mulino's official visit holds special significance for bilateral ties. He expressed his belief that the visit will not only resume high-level contacts after a long gap but also give new momentum to ties, moving them into a more substantive, effective and deeper phase.

General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President To Lam and President of Panama José Raúl Mulino meet with the press immediately after their talks (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese, Panamanian leaders meet the press following talks

Both sides agreed that there is ample room for cooperation, particularly in trade, investment and services. They pledged to step up joint work in the economic, trade, investment, agriculture, port logistics, finance, banking, tourism and transport sectors, as well as other areas of mutual strength. They also plan to continue negotiating agreements on investment protection, aviation and other areas to create a more favourable framework for expanding cooperation.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (second, right) and Panama President José Raúl Mulino (second, left) witness the exchange of an agreement on maritime transport cooperation between the Governments of Vietnam and Panama (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Panama exchange cooperation documents witnessed by top leaders

The documents include an agreement on maritime transport cooperation between the Governments of Vietnam and Panama, an agreement on cooperation in combating transnational crime, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on agricultural cooperation, and an MoU on tourism cooperation between the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the Panama Tourism Authority.

Uch Leang, Acting Director of the Department of Asia, Africa and Middle East Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s Institute of International Relations speaks to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Phnom Penh (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Cambodia strengthen connectivity, create new momentum for growth

The visit’s focus is expected to be on translating high-level agreements into economic and infrastructure connectivity projects and practical cooperation that benefit people and businesses, said Uch Leang, Acting Director of the Department of Asia, Africa and Middle East Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s Institute of International Relations.

President of the Republic of Panama José Raúl Mulino and his spouse, Maricel Cohen De Mulino, visit Hanoi's Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam on October 6, 2026 (Photo: VNA)

Panamanian President and spouse visit Temple of Literature

Visiting Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature - Imperial Academy) in Hanoi, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino showed keen interest in the historical, cultural and artistic values of the World Documentary Heritage site, which houses 82 stone steles honouring doctoral laureates. He praised Vietnam’s tradition of learning, respect for teachers and appreciation of talent.

Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Party Committee and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong holds talks with visiting President of the Hungarian Workers' Party Gyula Thürmer in Hanoi. (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

CPV, Hungarian Workers' Party seek to deepen ties

The CPV pursues a policy of expanding relations with political parties, including the Hungarian Workers' Party, a traditional partner that has consistently shown interest in and supported Vietnam.

Former Panamanian Ambassador to Vietnam Servio S. Samudio with Vietnamese children he met during his trip to a Vietnamese northern mountainous region (Photo courtesy of Former Panamanian Ambassador to Vietnam Servio S. Samudio)

People-to-people exchanges forge stronger Vietnam-Panama ties

The October 5-8 official visit to Vietnam by Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and his spouse is expected to create new avenues for collaboration and open more doors for the people of the two countries to meet, for Vietnamese culture to become more familiar to Panamanians, and for Vietnamese people to have more opportunities to discover Panama.

The meeting between Politburo Member and Standing Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu and President of the Hungarian Workers’ Party Gyula Thürmer in Hanoi on October 5, 2026 (Photo: VNA)

Key Party leader hosts Hungarian Workers’ Party chief

The Communist Party of Vietnam always values its solidarity and friendship with the Hungarian Workers' Party and communist and workers' parties worldwide, which helps build political trust and supports Vietnam's relations with other countries, said key Party leader Tran Cam Tu.