General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm (right) and General Khamlieng Outhakaisone, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Laos, at their meeting in Hà Nội on October 14. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President Tô Lâm received General Khamlieng Outhakaisone, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Laos, in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

The Lao official is in Việt Nam for an official visit, the 10th annual meeting of the defence ministers of Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, and the fifth joint civil defence exercise among the three countries’ militaries.

At the meeting, General Secretary and President Lâm congratulated the Lao Party, State and people on their significant and comprehensive achievements, particularly in maintaining political stability, safeguarding national defence and security, and promoting socio-economic development, thereby enabling Laos to graduate from the least developed country category in 2026.

He also congratulated Laos on the success of the recent Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee meeting and the consolidation of key leadership positions at the second session of the 10th National Assembly, describing these as important decisions for the country’s future development, construction and defence. 

The top leader affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State always attach the highest priority to relations with Laos and stand ready to share experience and support the country in its renewal and international integration. Highlighting defence and security cooperation as a key pillar of bilateral ties, he called for stronger strategic political trust, effective exchanges and defence dialogues at all levels, substantive implementation of existing cooperation mechanisms, and closer coordination between agencies, units, military regions, services and armed forces of the two countries.

He also reaffirmed Việt Nam's support for stronger solidarity and defence cooperation among Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, noting that the annual defence ministers’ meeting and joint civil defence exercise are practical mechanisms for building trust and improving coordination in responding to shared challenges.

For his part, Khamlieng briefed the host on the situation in Laos, particularly the implementation of the 12th National Party Congress’s Resolution. He expressed deep gratitude for Việt Nam's longstanding, timely and effective support, affirming that, regardless of regional and global developments, the Lao Party, State, army and people will always stand alongside their Vietnamese counterparts to preserve and further nurture the special bilateral relationship for generations to come.

Reporting on the visit and defence cooperation outcomes, he pledged close coordination with Việt Nam's Ministry of National Defence to effectively implement high-level agreements between the two countries and cooperation agreements between the two ministries, further promoting the traditional ties between the two armies and contributing to peace and development in both countries.

General Secretary and President Lâm thanked the Lao Party, State, army and people for facilitating the search for, recovery and identification of the remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers in Laos, making an important contribution to Việt Nam's “500-day campaign” launched by the Government.

He called on the two defence ministries to prepare and organise activities under the 2027 Việt Nam–Laos Year of Solidarity and Friendship in celebration of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The activities, he said, will help educate younger generations about the countries’ shared history, foster pride and deepen solidarity between their people. — VNA/VNS