The official visit to Laos by Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and a high-level Vietnamese delegation marked a turning point, moving the strategic cohesion between the two economies into a more practical and productive phase, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavan Phomvihane said.
Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency after the October 8–9 visit, Thongsavan said Lao leaders viewed the trip as a continuation of traditional friendship and a turning point that deepened economic ties. He said the visit’s timing and the diplomatic message from both countries’ leaders drew particular attention in Laos.
Thongsavan said Lê Minh Hưng’s choice of Laos as his first overseas destination as prime minister showed the priority Vietnam gives to the relationship. The recent approval of Saleumxay Kommasith as head of the Lao Government, followed by his welcoming of the Vietnamese prime minister as his first foreign guest, also reflected the closeness of the two countries.
Bilateral talks and agreements on key cooperation programmes gave fresh momentum to commitments made by the two countries’ party and state leaders. Concrete agreements focus on the Vientiane–Hanoi Expressway, Vũng Áng Port in Hà Tĩnh Province, a Laos–Vietnam railway link and an oil pipeline system.
For a landlocked country, these projects are intended to help Laos develop as a logistics hub for the Mekong region. Vietnam is ready to increase electricity purchases from Laos, while the sides will study an oil pipeline that could reduce the cost of transporting oil by road.
More than 500 people attended an investment promotion conference co-chaired by the two prime ministers. In the first nine months of 2026, the Lao Government approved US$8.57 billion in foreign investment, with Vietnamese enterprises accounting for US$4.7 billion. Their investments covered agriculture, mineral processing, clean energy, banking and finance, logistics, tourism and digital transformation.
At a ceremony attended by both prime ministers, Laos received its Population Data and Citizen Identification System. Lao officials described it as an important step towards a modern digital national governance system.
The two sides launched the Laos–Vietnam Friendship University project and announced sponsorship for school construction in Houaphanh and Champasak provinces. Thongsavan said the decisions would help Laos train workers for industrialisation and modernisation.
Vientiane and Oudomxay Province signed 2026–2030 cooperation agreements with Hải Phòng City and Ninh Bình Province in Vietnam. During the visit, the sides exchanged 11 government-level cooperation documents and nearly 20 business investment deals. Thongsavan said the agreements created fresh momentum for Laos–Vietnam relations.
He said the friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic ties between the two countries would continue to support their economic development. (VNA/VNS)
Sources: Viet Nam News
