Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng on October 3 chaired a meeting on the progress of Việt Nam–Laos cooperation projects so far this year. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng on Friday chaired a meeting with ministries, sectors, localities, and enterprises to review the implementation of Việt Nam–Laos cooperation projects so far this year.

According to a report by the Ministry of Finance, the implementation of the agreement on the Vietnam–Laos cooperation plan between January and August has met set goals and yielded important results.

Việt Nam's registered investment capital in Laos reached US$322 million, six times higher than the same period in 2024, focusing on energy, mining, and transport services. To date, Vietnamese businesses have invested in 274 projects in Laos, with total registered capital of $5.82 billion and realised capital of about $3 billion. Many of these projects are operating effectively.

Aid-funded projects provided by Việt Nam for Laos have maintained the planned schedule. Project owners from both sides have actively coordinated in implementation, with many projects already completed, handed over, and put into operation.

Among projects funded by the Vietnamese Government for the Lao counterpart, two are expected to be completed in 2025. Of the five ongoing projects, four are slated for completion in 2026, and one has already been finished. Of four projects under preparation, three are scheduled for completion between 2027 and 2029, and one is expected in 2026. Additionally, the two sides are working to finalise procedures and seek approval for three new projects.

At the meeting, Dũng tasked the Ministry of Construction with studying the feasibility of a railway route. The Ministry of Industry and Trade was asked to continue discussions with Laos to review the feasibility of an oil storage project, report and propose alternatives if more suitable, and consider expanding the scale of electricity imports from Laos while adjusting import pricing frameworks to encourage private enterprises to invest in transmission line expansion.

He noted that the Ministry of Finance will coordinate with other ministries to study the feasibility of a route from the Lao capital of Vientiane to Thanh Thuỷ in Việt Nam's northern province Phú Thọ, and report to the Government. It will also urgently allocate funds for the construction of the Laos–Việt Nam Friendship Hospital.

The hospital and the Laos–Việt Nam friendship park are set to be inaugurated on December 19, the Deputy PM stressed. — VNA/VNS