Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone: Laos Gives Top Priority to Relations with Vietnam

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The reception was attended by leaders of several Lao ministries and agencies, as well as representatives of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone expressed his pleasure at returning to Hanoi for an official visit to Vietnam after being elected Prime Minister of Laos for the new term and to attend the ASEAN Future Forum 2026. He sincerely thanked the Party, State, and people of Vietnam for the respectful and warm reception extended to the high-level Lao Government delegation.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone receives a delegation from the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association led by Nguyen Dac Vinh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Society, and President of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

The Lao Prime Minister said that each time he returns to Hanoi, he can clearly feel the capital’s development and always has the sense of returning to his own homeland. According to him, this visit to Vietnam is his first overseas trip since being elected Prime Minister of Laos for the new term, demonstrating Laos’ special importance attached to Vietnam-Laos relations.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone reaffirmed that Laos always values and gives top priority to its relationship with Vietnam. He noted that at the end of 2025, the two Politburos agreed to elevate bilateral relations with the new formulation of “great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic connectivity,” reflecting a new strategic vision for the current stage of development.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone also briefed the delegation on Laos’ socio-economic development, as well as efforts to streamline and strengthen its organizational apparatus. He highly appreciated the results of bilateral cooperation in recent years, particularly the implementation of strategic connectivity projects such as the Vientiane-Hanoi Expressway, the Vientiane-Vung Ang Railway, the development of Vung Ang Port, and numerous cooperation projects in energy and infrastructure.

President of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association Nguyen Dac Vinh thanked Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and the high-level Lao Government delegation for taking the time to receive the delegation.

He noted that among the country’s 34 provinces and cities, the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association has established member associations in 27 localities. In recent years, the Association has actively organized people-to-people exchange activities and fostered connections among localities, businesses, veterans, youth, and students of the two countries, while also supporting Lao students studying and living in Vietnam.

He emphasized that the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association will continue to work closely with the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association to implement practical activities at both the central and local levels, particularly among friendship associations, veterans, youth, and students of the two countries, thereby contributing to strengthening the special solidarity between the peoples of Vietnam and Laos.

Delegates pose for a commemorative photograph. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Agreeing with the proposals put forward by the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone expressed his hope that the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association and the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association would continue to strengthen coordination and expand exchanges among localities, businesses, veterans, and younger generations of the two countries.

The Lao Prime Minister said that Laos would review the system of Laos-Vietnam Friendship Associations at the local level and study measures to streamline and strengthen the organizational network in an appropriate manner, thereby creating more favorable conditions for cooperation with the Vietnamese side. He also noted that the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association is currently undergoing organizational restructuring to better meet the requirements and tasks of the new period.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the two Associations would continue to jointly organize a wide range of practical activities in preparation for the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Laos diplomatic relations and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2027. According to the Prime Minister, these milestones will provide an opportunity to enhance exchanges among veterans, younger generations, businesses, and the peoples of both countries, thereby further nurturing the great friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone invited the Central Committee of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association to visit and exchange experiences with the Central Committee of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association in Vientiane.

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