President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and President of Việt Nam Tô Lâm listen to the two nations' national anthems at the ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sáng

VIENTIANE — General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith hosted a red-carpet welcome ceremony in Vientiane on Thursday for Vietnamese President Tô Lâm and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation who are paying a state visit to the neighbouring country.

Following the ceremony, the Vietnamese and Lao leaders started their talks to seek measures to make the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries deeper and more effective.

President Lâm's visit is taking place at a time when the Việt Nam-Laos great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation are thriving with strong political trust.

Bilateral economic, trade and investment partnership is expanding, with two-way trade reaching over US$1.46 billion in 2023 and over $620 million in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 10.6 per cent.

Việt Nam is investing in 241 projects in Laos with a total capital of about $5.5 billion, ranking third among the countries and territories investing there.

That Laos is the first foreign country Lâm visits as the state leader of Việt Nam shows the special attention and priority Việt Nam attaches to it.

President Tô Lâm receive flowers from the Vientiane students during the welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese leader. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sáng

The sound traditional relations, close bond, and faithful friendship between the two peoples, initiated by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong, have been nurtured and reinforced by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, becoming a shared priceless asset of the two nations and the common rule of development of the two countries.

The two sides elevated their ties from “traditional” to "great traditional” in February 2019, marking a significant historical milestone and creating a new breakthrough in the relations between the two countries.

Prior to the welcome ceremony, the two leaders and the Vietnamese delegation laid flowers at the monument dedicated to Lao unknown martyrs in Vientiane. — VNS