Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency after the visit, made at the invitation of Lao Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Thongsavan said Lao leaders viewed the trip as a turning point that moved strategic cohesion between the two economies into a more practical and productive phase.
He said the Lao public paid close attention to the timing of the visit and the diplomatic message from both countries’ leaders. He described the friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic linkage between Laos and Vietnam as a valuable asset in international relations.
Hung’s choice of Laos as his first overseas destination after becoming prime minister showed the priority Vietnam gives to the relationship, Thongsavan said. Saleumxay Kommasith, recently approved by the National Assembly to lead the Lao Government, received the Vietnamese prime minister as his first foreign guest.
The bilateral talks and directions on major cooperation programmes should help implement agreements reached by the leaders of the two parties and states. Lao public opinion particularly welcomed agreements aimed at removing obstacles and improving economic and transport connectivity.
For landlocked Laos, becoming a logistics hub for the region and the Mekong sub-region remains an important goal. The governments plan to accelerate the Vientiane, Hanoi Expressway, the development of Vung Ang Port in Vietnam’s Ha Tinh province as Laos’s international seaport, a Laos, Vietnam railway link and an oil pipeline system.
The sides also agreed on energy security. Vietnam is ready to increase power purchases from Laos, while the two countries will study an oil pipeline system to reduce the cost of transporting oil by road.
More than 500 people attended the Laos, Vietnam Investment Promotion Conference. In the first nine months of 2026, the Lao Government approved 8.57 billion USD in foreign direct investment, including 4.7 billion USD from Vietnamese companies. Their investments cover high-tech agriculture, mineral processing, clean energy, banking and finance, logistics, tourism and digital transformation.
The two prime ministers attended the handover of Laos’s Population Data and Citizen Identification System. The Laos, Vietnam Friendship University project was launched, and commitments were made to fund schools in Houaphanh and Champasak provinces.
Vientiane and Oudomxay province signed 2026, 2030 cooperation agreements with Hai Phong city and Vietnam’s Ninh Binh province. Thongsavan said the exchange of 11 government-level cooperation documents and nearly 20 investment deals created fresh momentum for bilateral relations.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
