Dr Athsphangthong Siphandone (left) meets Mr Gergely Karácsony in Budapest, Hungary, last week. --Photo Vientiane Mai

Vientiane mayor builds links with Bangkok, Budapest to boost development

Leaders of Vientiane are strengthening links with the authorities of other capital cities, most recently Bangkok and Budapest in Hungary, to push for better development in the Lao capital.
The Mayor of Vientiane Dr Athsphangthong Siphandone and his officials on Friday paid a working visit to Bangkok in Thailand to discuss ongoing and future areas of cooperation.
Dr Athsphangthong met his counterpart Mr Chadchart Sittipunt for talks on education, public health and tourism, when the two mayors reviewed the progress made on cooperation agreements signed in 2008.
In the field of education, officials in Vientiane and Bangkok are sharing in efforts to improve teaching and learning and have set up a student exchange scheme for studies in technology through E-learning.
In the field of public health, the two sides are discussing the use of telemedicine and cooperation between their hospitals and laboratories with Thai universities through tabletop exercises carried out by video link.
In tourism, Vientiane and Bangkok are looking at ways to grow the midnight economy in ways that are more efficient and profitable. In Vientiane, this will focus on allocating specific locations for the sale of goods and food, with a view to attracting foreign visitors.
Dr Athsphangthong and his officials also paid a working visit to the Hungarian capital Budapest from May 16-18 to discuss ways to prevent contaminated water from entering the main water supply.
Dr Athsphangthong met the Mayor of Budapest, Mr Gergely Karácsony, for talks on water issues and discussed future areas of cooperation in this field.
Just recently the government of Hungary announced that it will continue to provide 150 scholarships for Lao nationals to study at Hungarian universities each year.
The government of Laos and Hungary also agreed push for progress in cooperation projects, notably those relating to natural resources and the environment, water resource management, finance, agriculture infrastructure development, wastewater treatment, modernised population management, education, and human resource development.
The Vientiane Mayor and his staff learnt how dirty water is treated in Budapest, when Budapest officials explained the methods used to ensure that the water provided for public consumption is clean. 
The Lao delegation also met Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Menczer Tamas.

By Times​ Reporters​
 (Latest Update May 23, 2023)