Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (right) meets with Vice President of the Lao NA Sounthone Xayachack on the sidelines of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

ISTANBUL — Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn met with Vice President of the Lao NA Sounthone Xayachack on the sidelines of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday.

Chairman Mẫn congratulated Laos on the successful election of deputies to the 10th NA, the 5th provincial and municipal People’s Councils, and the completion of appointments to key state leadership posts for the new term. He also congratulated Sounthone on her election as Vice President of the 10th Lao NA.

The Vietnamese leader welcomed the steady growth of ties between the two countries and their legislatures, saying that cooperation has become increasingly close, effective and practical. He affirmed that Việt Nam’s NA highly values close coordination with its Lao counterpart in preserving and promoting the special bilateral relationship, particularly through the parliamentary channel.

He also expressed his confidence that under the leadership of the Party, effective oversight of the NA, decisive management of the Government and strong national unity, Laos will successfully implement the Resolution of the 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and its 10th five-year socio-economic development plan.

For her part, Sounthone congratulated Việt Nam on the successful 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the election of deputies to the 16th NA for the 2026–31 term. She also congratulated Mẫn on his election as Chairman of the 16th NA.

The Lao official said the Lao Party, State, NA and people deeply value the longstanding support of Việt Nam. She highlighted Việt Nam’s timely assistance in helping Laos maintain energy security amid severe global supply disruptions despite numerous challenges.

Both sides agreed to further deepen political ties, increase delegation exchanges, especially among parliamentary leaders, and enhance the sharing of legislative experiences. They also pledged closer supervision coordination to speed up Vietnamese investment and cooperation projects in Laos, ensuring effectiveness and progress in line with priorities set by the two Parties, States and legislatures. — VNA/VNS