Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, meets the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr Nong Duc Manh.

Laos, Vietnam strengthen strategic partnership

Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, continued his state visit to Vietnam on January 27 with meetings and activities aimed at deepening the long-standing friendship between the two neighbours.
President Thongloun’s state visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on January 26-27 was made at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr To Lam and his wife.
Mr Thongloun, together with his wife and a top-level Lao delegation, laid wreaths at the Vietnamese Heroic Martyrs Monument and the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh to honour those who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for Vietnam’s independence.
He later met the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr Nong Duc Manh, at the Central Office of the Communist Party of Vietnam, with both expressing pleasure at the growing cooperation between Laos and Vietnam over past years.
They noted that relations between the two countries have been elevated to a strategic partnership, reflecting the strong political trust and close ties built through generations of cooperation.
Mr Thongloun thanked senior Vietnamese leaders for their dedication to preserving the special friendship between the two nations.
The President and his delegation also visited the Hanoi Government Office, where they met Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Mr Nguyen Duy Ngoc.
During the meeting, Hanoi leaders shared information on the capital’s socio-economic development and key achievements in recent years.
Mr Thongloun praised the progress made by Hanoi and encouraged closer cooperation between Vientiane and Hanoi through regular exchanges and experience sharing to support future development.
The Lao delegation later visited the Vietnam Electricity Group, where they received updates on operations, state enterprise reform, and cooperation with Electricité du Laos.
Mr Thongloun welcomed the positive results of cooperation in the field of energy and stressed the importance of continued collaboration to support Laos’ power sector development.
In the afternoon, the President received courtesy visits from the President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Ms Bui Thi Minh Hoai, and Member of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association, Mr Nguyen Dac Vinh.
He briefed them on the purpose and outcomes of his visit and praised the active role of friendship organisations in strengthening ties between the peoples of both countries, especially in border areas.
Mr Thongloun encouraged continued coordination, people-to-people connections, and joint activities to ensure the special Laos-Vietnam friendship remains strong and lasting.
During the visit, Lao and Vietnamese leaders signed two cooperation agreements covering the years 2026-2030, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries. The agreements aim to improve coordination between the two parties and expand cooperation at both central and local levels.
The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral relations and agreed to maintain close high-level exchanges, accelerate connectivity projects, and strengthen cooperation in economic, cultural and people-to-people fields.
The visit concluded with a state banquet, during which President Thongloun invited Mr To Lam and his wife to pay a state visit to Laos on February 5-6.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update January 30, 2026)