President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and visiting General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm attend a wrist-tying ceremony, a Lao enduring custom symbolising wishes for peace, good fortune, and well-being for those who receive the sacred strings. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

VIENTIANE — General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith on Thursday hosted a banquet for visiting General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn also attended the event.

General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith congratulated the CPV on the success of its 14th National Congress, saying he was pleased and proud of the far-reaching, across-the-board achievements of historic significance secured by the Vietnamese Party, State and people in recent years.

He expressed his sincere thanks to the Party, State and people of Việt Nam for their great, valuable and timely support for the Party, State and people of Laos during the past struggle for national liberation as well as in the current cause of national defence, construction, and development.

The Lao leader stressed that the Party, State and people of Laos will do their utmost, together with their Vietnamese counterparts, to safeguard and strengthen the great friendship and special solidarity founded by President Hồ Chí Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong, and further forged by generations of leaders, soldiers and people of both nations, turning it into a shared, sacred asset to be preserved and passed on to future generations.

In reply, General Secretary Lâm said he was pleased to witness the great, comprehensive achievements recorded by the Party, State and people of Laos after 40 years of renewal, as well as the success of the 12th National Congress of the LPRP.

The Party chief said he was confident that Laos would successfully achieve the strategic goals set out by the 12th National Congress of the LPRP.

He affirmed that Việt Nam attaches the highest priority to preserving, nurturing and developing the “great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion” between the two countries, considering this not only a political responsibility but also as a heartfelt commitment and a long-term strategic interest of both nations.

The Party, State and people of Việt Nam stand ready to work closely with and support their Lao counterparts in the cause of national defence, building and development, he said. — VNA/VNS