On the afternoon of August 10, 2023, a meeting at the level of a deputy minister was held in Vientiane, Laos. The meeting was held between a high-ranking delegation from Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, led by Lieutenant General Nguyen Duy Ngoc, a member of the Party Central Committee and the Deputy Minister of Public Security, and a delegation from Laos' Ministry of Public Security, led by Lieutenant General Kham Kinh Phuilamanivong, the Deputy Minister of Public Security of Laos.

Deputy Minister Khamkh Phuilamanivong extended a cordial welcome to Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Ngoc and the delegation, and he spoke highly of the business trip to Laos and the participation in the 8th ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Drug Issues of the senior delegations from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Ngoc expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and his joy at the opportunity to visit and work with the Lao Ministry of Public Security during the conference as Deputy Minister Khamkh Phuilamanivong and the Lao Ministry of Public Security welcomed the Vietnamese delegation.

During the talks, the Ministries of Public Security from both countries assessed the progress made in addressing social order, safety, and security in their respective countries. They also discussed ways to better coordinate efforts to combat transnational crimes, such as those involving drugs and technology.

The Lao Party and Government greatly value the recent successes in drug prevention, which the Lao Ministry of Public Security briefed the Vietnamese delegation about. The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security played a key role in this success via its tight and efficient cooperation. As part of the strong bond of friendship and solidarity between the two nations, the Laotian Ministry of Public Security conveyed its deepest appreciation and reaffirmed the importance of working together to maintain peace and safety.

The 2023 Cooperation Plan and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnam and Laotian Ministries of Public Security regarding drug prevention and combat from 2021 have laid the groundwork for increased cooperation between the two countries' police forces. This has led to better knowledge sharing and more timely information exchange regarding cases involving drug trafficking and transnational crimes, as well as coordinated efforts to apprehend dangerously wanted individuals residing in other nations.

In order to address the needs of crime prevention, particularly criminality related to drug trafficking in the border area between Vietnam and Laos, the Ministries of Public Security of the two countries are working together on a project to construct the headquarters of the Lao Police. Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security headquarters number 224 has been finished and transferred to Laos.

Furthermore, units of the two ministries also created the Lao People's Public Security Political Academy pursuant to the permission of the two governments. This was done without delay. We are anticipating that the project will be operational on the first day of the new school year in September 2023, having been mostly finished on time.

Next, the heads of the two ministries will decide how to work together, keeping in mind the following goals: to keep up-to-date information flowing between them, to quickly understand each other's situations, to be on high alert and stop hostile forces from sabotaging their efforts, to work closely together to prevent crimes that cross borders, to keep the peace and security in Vietnam and Laos, and to put into action the provisions of the agreement that the two ministries signed.

Also, the high-level agreement's provisions on border problems need to be put into action as soon as possible. Vietnam and Laos should work together, beef up border patrols and oversight, and stop people from crossing the border illegally as soon as possible. They should also speed up discussions, get closer to unification, and sign legal papers to formalize their relationship.

Vietnam and Laos have committed to working closely together in the field of public security. This includes promoting cooperation projects between the two ministries, protecting vital projects in both countries, and making sure that senior leaders from both parties and states are completely safe on business trips and during important political events.

As per the itinerary, Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc and his entourage paid a visit to the Lao Police Political Academy on the same day to cheer on the officers and soldiers from the ministry's Lao representative agency.