Deputy Defense Minister inspects preparation for third Vietnam-Laos Border Defense Friendship Exchange

The delegation comprehensively surveyed key locations, including Kim Lien Special National Relic Site where delegates will offer incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh, Thanh Thuy Border Gate (for the welcoming ceremony, tree planting, and joint patrol), and the Border Post of Thanh Thuy Border Gate, which will be visited by Vietnamese and Lao defense ministers.

The delegation salutes the border marker at Thanh Thuy Border Gate in Nghe An province.

They also inspected Thuy Phong village cultural house, where a preliminary review of the cross-border residential twinning model will take place, and the site for the new Thanh Ha Kindergarten, funded by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense. Venues for bilateral talks and delegate accommodations were thoroughly reviewed.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang inspects the Border Post of Thanh Thuy Border Gate, which is expected to host the Vietnamese and Lao defense ministers.

The delegation surveys Thuy Phong village cultural house, the prospective venue for the preliminary review of the cross-border residential twinning model.

The delegation inspects the site for the new Thanh Ha Kindergarten, funded by the Ministry of National Defense.

The exchange is scheduled for July 9 and 10 in Nghe An (Vietnam) and Bolikhamsai (Laos). As a major defense diplomacy event in 2026, it aims to reinforce the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations and their border protection forces.

A meeting is held following the field inspection.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang delivers concluding remarks after the inspection.

Major General Ngo Nam Cuong, Deputy Commander of Military Region 4, speaks at the meeting.

Hoang Phu Hien, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An provincial People’s Committee, speaks at the meeting.

Following the field trip, the delegation held a meeting to review the preparation for the upcoming event. Representatives from the Vietnam Border Guard, Military Region 4, Air Defense - Air Force Service, and Nghe An province proposed measures to ensure absolute safety for the event.

Concluding the meeting, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang hailed the units’ pro-active preparations. He ordered relevant units to finalize detailed scenarios, accelerate infrastructure upgrades and landscape embellishments, and ensure logistics service. He also emphasized the need for medical and emergency response plans, along with boosting media campaigns to highlight the profound meaning of the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity.

Translated by Minh Anh