PANO - Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith, his wife, and his entourage started an official visit to Vietnam from May 15th - 17th at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith was born on November 10th 1945 in Houa Phanh province, Laos. He graduated from the College of Pedagogy of the Lao Patriotic Front, Houa Phanh province (1962-1969). He then studied a master program in Language and Literature at Herzen Education Academy in the city of St. Petersburg, the Soviet Union (1973-1978). He also studied a doctorate program in History of International Relations at the Institute of Social Sciences, Moscow, the Soviet Union (1981-1984). Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith can speak Russian, Vietnamese and English.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receiving Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith. Photo: VNA

From 1967-1969, he was a senior specialist of the Department of General Education under the Lao Patriotic Front, Houaphan province. From 1969-1973, he was a senior specialist of the Representative Office of the Lao Patriotic Front in Hanoi. From 1978-1979, he was a lecturer at the University of Vientiane. From 1979-1981, he worked as the personeal assistant for Lao Minister of Education and Head of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Education. From 1985-1986, he was the head of the Research Department of the Prime Minister palace. From 1987-1992, he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 1993-1996, he was the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare. From 1997-2001, he was a member the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee and Chairman of the NA Foreign Relations Committee.

In 2001, he was elected to the Politburo and from 2001-2006, he was the Deputy Prime Minister. He also held a number of other important positions in the Government and National Assembly of Laos. From 2006-2015, he was a Poliburo member, Deputy Prime Minister, Head of External Relations Commission of the Lao Party Central Committee, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In April 2016, he was elected the Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Translated by Huu Duong