Vietnam, Laos foster collaboration in home affairs
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra held a working session in Hanoi on May 23 with her Lao counterpart Thongchanh Manixay, during which both sides expressed delight at the close cooperation between the two ministries and the fruitful outcomes of joint activities.
The two ministries sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the 2023-2026 period. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Home Affairs Pham ThiThanh Tra held a working session in Hanoi on May 23 with her Lao counterpart ThongchanhManixay, during which both sides expressed delight at the close cooperation betweenthe two ministries and the fruitful outcomes of joint activities.
The two ministries have enjoyed effective partnership in high-leveldelegation exchange, personnel training for the Lao side, experience sharing in administrative reform and religious affairs, and the building of a national archive centre of Laos,said Tra.
She said that the Ministry of Home Affairs of Vietnam isfocusing on reshuffling, speeding up administrative reform, decentralizationand power delegation, and renovating the local administration operations. Itis working on two draft laws and many resolutions as well as other legaldocuments.
The ministry has streamlined the administrative apparatus by reducing 8 districts and 563 communes, along with 10%administrative units and 13.5% non-business units. The number of civil servantshas decreased 10.01%, while that of public employees has reduced 11.67%, shesaid.
For his part, Thongchanh Manixay said that the Lao Ministry of Home Affairs was established in 2011, thus the Lao side hopesto learn from professional experience of Vietnam, especially in State managementover religious affairs, local administration management, and the buildingof communal-level administrative units.
The minister briefed his host on a number of achievements that hisministry has gained so far, including simplifying its organization.
The two sides agreed that despite the positive cooperationresults, the partnership between the two sides has yet to meet expectations dueto the impact of COVID-19.
To deepen bilateral cooperation in the 2023-2026 period, they will increase the exchange of high-level delegations and cooperation inpersonnel training as well as experience sharing, while working together on a project on the digitization of the Lao Ministry of Home Affairs to submit to the Laos-Vietnam,Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Committees and the two Governments.
Following the working session, the two ministries signed amemorandum of understanding on cooperation in the 2023-2026 period.
Under the deal, the Ministry of Home Affairs of Vietnam willsend lecturers and experts to Laos to help with the building of legal policiesand organize short-term training courses for Lao officials in different fieldsfollowing requests from the Lao side./.
Each year, Vietnam will also receive delegations of Lao officialswith about 20 officials each to join 1-3-month courses on fields under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs./.
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Remains of nine Vietnamese volunteer experts and soldiers, who laid down their lives in Savannakhet province, Laos, were repatriated following a handover ceremony at Lao Bao – Densavan International Border Gate in the central province of Quang Tri on May 17.
Sen. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, received a delegation of the Engineering Department of the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army led by its Director Maj. Gen. Viengxay Xaysamone in Hanoi on May 19.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
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The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
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At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
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The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted ASEAN’s nearly six decades of development, during which the region transformed from division to harmony, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic growth, becoming a global bright spot for regional cooperation.
The two ministries sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the 2023-2026 period. (Photo: VNA) 
