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Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang speaks at the event. |
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Deputy Chairman of the Nghe An provincial People’s Committee at the event |
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of National Defense Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang and attended by Deputy Chief of the General Department of Political Affairs (GDP) Sr. Lt. Gen. Do Xuan Tung and Deputy Chairman of the Nghe An provincial People’s Committee Phung Thanh Vinh.
The third Vietnam-Laos Border Defense Friendship Exchange took place on July 9 and 10 in Vietnam's Nghe An province and Laos' Bolykhamxay province. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang, while the Lao delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Khamliang Outhakaysone.
Conference participants agreed that the exchange featured diverse, practical, and meaningful activities that received strong support from people in both countries. The Lao side highly appreciated the thorough preparations and organization of the event. Each activity effectively reflected the program's people-centered approach, making the exchange a true celebration of friendship for communities along the shared border.
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Delegates at the conference |
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An overview of the conference |
One of the program's highlights was the two defense ministers' visit to the Kim Lien Special National Relic Site, where they offered incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his hometown. They also visited the Lao Stilt House, a structure presented by the Lao Government to the Kim Lien Relic Site to mark the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth. The visit underscored that today's defense cooperation is rooted in history, mutual trust, and the long-standing solidarity between the two Parties, the two States, the two militaries, and the peoples of both countries.
The Vietnam-Laos Border Defense Friendship Exchange has been held three times, in Quang Tri, Son La, and Nghe An provinces in 2021, 2024, and 2026, respectively. Despite challenges posed by mountainous terrain, limited transportation, and underdeveloped infrastructure along the border, the program has continued to expand in both scale and substance through the strong political commitment of both sides.
The success of this year's exchange further strengthened political trust, mutual understanding, and the close relationship among local communities, authorities, and the defense ministries of Vietnam and Laos.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang hands over the Defense Minister’s Certificate of Merit to outstanding collectives. |
In his concluding remarks, Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Truong Thang affirmed that the exchange had fully achieved its objectives while ensuring absolute safety. Although the preparation time was limited, the program was organized professionally and efficiently with substantive activities. He noted that the talks between the two defense ministers reflected the event's political significance and conveyed a clear message of solidarity and a shared commitment to building a border of peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
He also emphasized that this year's program introduced several new initiatives centered on local communities. The defense ministers' participation in activities with border residents created a strong and lasting impact, strengthening ties between the armed forces and the people while further deepening Vietnam - Laos relations.
The defense leader commended the organization, protocol, ceremonial arrangements, security measures, and communication efforts, which helped widely promote the friendship and solidarity between the two Parties, the two States, and the two militaries.
To further improve future defense diplomacy activities, particularly border defense friendship exchanges, he directed relevant agencies to propose new formats and activities that would enrich the program, contributing to fostering more substantive cooperation between the defense ministries and armed forces of neighboring countries.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Do Xuan Tung hands over the Minister of National Defense's Certificates of Merit to the honored collectives. |
In recognition of outstanding contributions to the third edition, the Minister of National Defense awarded Certificates of Merit to 49 collectives and 119 individuals. The Chief of the General Staff honored 24 collectives and 29 individuals, while the GDP Chief presented Certificates of Merit to 17 collectives and 36 individuals.
The People's Army Newspaper received one collective reward and one individual reward from the Minister of National Defense, as well as one collective reward and two individual rewards from GDP’s Chief. During the conference, Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang and Sr. Lt. Gen. Do Xuan Tung handed over the Minister of National Defense's Certificates of Merit to the honored collectives.
Translated by Tran Hoai