Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Khanthaly Siriphongphanh (first row, centre) visits the Hà Nội National Sport Training Centre during her working trip to Việt Nam from February 20-23. Photos of VSA

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Laos have decided to strengthen their relationship in sport during a three-day working trip of Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Khanthaly Siriphongphanh to the country.

Việt Nam's Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương confirmed the two sides will consolidate and strengthen the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

He reviewed that the cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos for the period 2016-20 was successful and obtained remarkable results, leading to a five-year extension from 2021-25. This will be a strong base for stronger cooperation in the coming years, thereby setting sport in the two countries in a stable position in the Southeast Asia region.

The two sides' sport authorities signed an annual cooperation programme, and exchanged officials for learning and supporting each other in regional and international competitions. Việt Nam hosted Lao national teams to practise in preparation for SEA Games, helped build the Lao national training centre and successfully organised the 25 SEA Games in 2009.

In addition, Việt Nam regularly supported Laos with funding for practising activities and sent experts to train national team athletes to achieve high results at SEA Games and international competitions. Every year, the colleges of sport in Vietnam welcomed many Lao students to study and train in the short and long terms.

Việt Nam, as hosts of the 31st SEA Games, supported 50 per cent of the participating fee for Laos, who earned two golds, seven silvers and 33 bronzes.

"An achievement of 42 medals was a good result for Laos. Apart from these results in competition, we also monitored and appreciated Lao students' studies in Việt Nam," said Cương.

Việt Nam's Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương (left) makes a speech at the reception welcoming Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Khanthaly Siriphongphanh on February 21.

The Deputy Minister hoped that the two sides would renew their sports cooperation for the next period based on the former agreement with a view to strengthening the exchange for learning experiences, management and development of sports in each country.

Responding to Cương's remarks, Siriphongphanh expressed her appreciation for the cooperation of the two ministries and congratulated Việt Nam's 31st SEA Games success.

Siriphongphanh agreed with the proposal of resigning sport cooperation agreement and said Lao people thanked Việt Nam for the enthusiastic support for training students and human resources for the sport industry. She hoped to receive further support from the Vietnamese side in training and fostering university and high-level lecturers in sport.

Siriphongphanh later paid a visit to the Hà Nội National Sport Training Centre, Hà Nội Sports Training Centre, Mỹ Đình Sport Complex, the Bắc Ninh Sport University and the Hà Nội University Of Physical Education and Sports.

The Deputy Minister, who returned home on February 23, appreciated Việt Nam's training facilities and conditions as well as the strict discipline of management and professional attitude of athletes.

She said Việt Nam provided a good nutrition regime and bonus policy for athletes who grabbed high results. The socialisation in sports activities is increasingly effective, promoting the development of sports. Typically, men's and women's football teams have had great success recently. Việt Nam has made strong progress and became one of top countries in the region.

Siriphongphanh expressed that Lao sports was in a strong transforming process following strong teams such as Thailand and Việt Nam and has also set its sight on international competitions.

However, due to a limited source of finance for sport activities, the development has not grown remarkably.

Siriphongphanh expected to receive more support from the Vietnamese side on different fields of management, coaching methods, international cooperation and expert hiring to help Laos reach a higher level.

Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Khanthaly Siriphongphanh visits the national shooting range in Hà Nội. Shooting is one of Việt Nam' strong sports and Laos hope to receive more support from the 31st SEA Games hosts.

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, director of the Hà Nội National Sport Training Centre, said the centre always welcomes Lao sport teams to come for intensive training sessions and competitions. Officials and experts were happy to share their experience and knowledge for their Lao counterparts in sports that Việt Nam are good at.

He said Việt Nam was home to high-quality coaches who were at international level. Many Vietnamese referees were invited to officiate at large international competitions. His officials and staff were ready to coordinate and assist Lao colleagues in coaching, especially in martial arts.

Việt Nam Sports Administration (VSA) Deputy Director Lê Thị Hoàng Yến also spent time to review Laos' progress in recent years. She appreciated the country's managers and leaders who had receptive minds, and were eager to learn and improve their knowledge in sport from other countries in the region, including Việt Nam.

She said Việt Nam and Laos had been traditional partners for a long time so the VSA in general and national sport training centres in particular would love to share and create the best conditions in responding to Laos' requests for help. It would definitely tighten the sports relationship and push the cooperation of the two countries to a higher level. VNS