The visit is Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s first bilateral foreign trip and first official visit to Laos. He is also the first foreign leader to officially visit Laos after the country completed the consolidation of its senior leadership. The visit further affirms that Viet Nam and Laos remain steadfast in attaching special importance to and are determined to promote the enduring solidarity founded by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, and President Souphanouvong, which has been painstakingly nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, in line with their requirements, vision, and strategic interests in the new era.
The Viet Nam-Laos relationship is an exemplary, long-term strategic partnership and one of the decisive factors behind the success of each country’s revolutionary cause. It is an invaluable asset and a strategic foundation for stability, development, and integration, as well as a source of strength and motivation for the two countries to preserve, strengthen, and pass this special relationship on to future generations.
The two Parties and States have consistently affirmed their commitment to standing shoulder to shoulder, supporting and assisting each other in national renewal, development, and defense. Building on their tradition of special solidarity, the two sides have elevated the relationship to a new level of great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion, reflecting a shared vision, intertwined strategic interests, and a long-term commitment to sustainable development, self-reliance, and shared prosperity.
Guided by the directives of the two Politburos and backed by strong efforts from governments, ministries, sectors, agencies, and localities, Viet Nam and Laos have effectively implemented high-level agreements and achieved significant results across various fields. Political ties remain the core pillar guiding the overall bilateral cooperation. Defense and security cooperation has become increasingly close and practical, contributing to political stability, social order and safety in each country and to building a border of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation, and development.
Economic, trade, and investment cooperation has also been prioritized, with greater emphasis on strategic connectivity, including transport, telecommunications, and logistics infrastructure and stronger links between the two economies. Cooperation between localities, particularly border areas, continues to contribute effectively to the bilateral ties. The two countries have also supported each other at multilateral forums, particularly within ASEAN, the United Nations, and Mekong sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, helping enhance their international standing and strengthen the role of the special Viet Nam-Laos relationship in the region.
President Ho Chi Minh once affirmed that Viet Nam and Laos are bound together like water and fish, and that their revolutionary causes are closely connected like blood flowing through the same vein. With pride in the great, comprehensive, and historically significant achievements of the two Parties, states, and peoples, we firmly believe that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, and by carrying forward the legacy of previous generations and the special solidarity between the two peoples, Viet Nam and Laos will continue to achieve further successes in their respective causes of national renewal, development, and defense.
Translated by Tran Hoai