Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavan Phomvihane grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency. — VNA/VNS Photo

VIENTIANE — The official visit to Laos by Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and a high-level Vietnamese delegation has marked a historic turning point, bringing the "strategic cohesion" between the two economies into a more substantive and productive phase, said Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavan Phomvihane.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency following the official visit from October 8 to 9, made at the invitation of Lao PM Saleumxay Kommasith, Thongsavan noted leaders of the Lao Party, State, and Government shared an assessment that the visit was not only a continuation of the great traditional friendship but also marked a historic turning point, deepening the “strategic cohesion” between the Lao and Vietnamese economies in a practical and effective manner.

Highlighting the significance of the visit, he noted that the public in Laos paid special attention to its timing and the powerful diplomatic message conveyed by leaders of both nations.

The great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic linkage between Laos and Việt Nam are forever an invaluable, pure, and extremely rare asset in the history of international relations, he stressed.

He emphasised that PM Hưng’s selection of Laos as his first overseas destination after being elected to the post clearly demonstrates the top priority and utmost importance Vietnam consistently places on its special relationship with Laos.

This close comradeship and brotherhood were further underscored as Saleumxay Kommasith was also recently approved by the National Assembly as head of the Lao Government, welcoming the Vietnamese PM as his first international guest.

According to Thongsavan, the two Government leaders’ bilateral talks and directions on key cooperation programmes during the visit generated fresh momentum for the realisation of the commitments made by the General Secretaries and Presidents of both Parties and States, translating the "strategic cohesion" from shared consensus into vivid reality.

He noted what won high acclaim from the Lao public were the concrete agreements designed to clear bottlenecks and forge a fundamental shift in macroeconomic and strategic infrastructure connectivity between the two countries.

For a landlocked country like Laos, transforming itself into a regional and Mekong sub-regional logistics hub is a vital imperative. Therefore, the two Governments' focused efforts to accelerate national strategic projects such as the Vientiane–Hanoi Expressway, the development of Vũng Áng Port in Việt Nam’s Hà Tĩnh province as Laos' international seaport, the Laos–Việt Nam railway link, and an oil pipeline system are regarded as vital arterial corridors and the backbone for long-term, sustainable economic integration.

Alongside transport infrastructure, he added, high consensus was reached on energy security. Amid complex global fluctuations, Việt Nam’s readiness to step up purchases of clean power from Laos, combined with joint studies on an oil pipeline system to replace costly road transport, will help Laos fundamentally address its macroeconomic stability and ensure national energy security.

The impressive figures announced during the Lao–Vietnam Investment Promotion Conference, co-chaired by the two PMs and attended by over 500 participants, further buoyed public confidence, the official said.

In the first nine months of 2026, out of US$8.57 billion in foreign direct investment approved by the Lao Government, Vietnamese enterprises accounted for $4.7 billion. This solidifies Việt Nam’s position as a leading investor, contributing directly to Laos’s socio-economic development across key priorities such as high-tech agriculture, mineral processing, clean energy, banking – finance, logistics, tourism, and digital transformation.

PM Hưng’s visit also left a profound impression on the Lao people through humanitarian initiatives with a vision for the future. The handover ceremony for the Lao Population Data and Citizen Identification System, co-presided over by both PMs, was hailed as a historic milestone enabling Laos to build a modern digital national governance framework serving both economic growth and social order.

In education and human resources development, the launch of the Laos–Vietnam Friendship University project and sponsorship commitments for school construction in Houaphanh and Champasak provinces received warm welcome from the Lao public and intellectual community, Thongsavan said, considering this an invaluable investment in the future that helps train high-quality human resources for Laos’ industrialisation and modernisation.

Furthermore, local-level cooperation recorded fresh progress with the signing of 2026–2030 cooperation agreements between Vientiane and Oudomxay provinces of Laos and Hải Phòng city and Ninh Bình province of Việt Nam.

Proactive links from grassroots levels and key economic regions have formed a solid tripod for bilateral ties, he added.

Senior leaders of Laos expressed firm confidence that with 11 government-level cooperation documents and nearly 20 investment deals of businesses exchanged, the visit created a fresh impetus and a genuine breakthrough to elevate bilateral relations, according to the Deputy PM and Foreign Minister.

Looking back at the historical journey and ahead to major milestone anniversaries, he reaffirmed that the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion between Laos and Việt Nam will remain forever green and sustainable, serving as a key driver for the prosperous development of both nations. — VNA/VNS