A Pivotal State Visit: Laying the Foundation for Deeper Collaboration

From April 24 to 25, 2025, Vietnam’s President Lương Cường, responded to an official invitation from Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, embarking on a momentous State visit to Laos. The trip held special significance as President Cường’s first official international journey in his new position—a powerful indication of Vietnam’s continued respect and focus on its historic, uniquely bonded relationship with Laos.

Welcomed with full formal honors and ceremonial state protocol at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane, the Vietnamese delegation received a heartfelt reception marked by warm greetings, symbolic gestures, and cultural elements reflective of the two countries’ shared heritage. The ceremony emphasized not just protocol, but the emotional and diplomatic resonance of bilateral ties between Vietnam and Laos.

Mutual Recognition of Sovereignty, Shared Historical Legacy

At the center of the welcoming events was the sense that Vietnam and Laos share not merely geographic proximity, but a profound historical journey. President Sisoulith praised Vietnam for its unwavering dedication to development and reform, citing achievements in economic growth, enhanced living standards, international stature, and successful anti-corruption initiatives. Meanwhile, President Cường underscored that despite differing stages of development, Laos’s political stability, social cohesion, and economic improvements command deep respect—and that Vietnam stands fully committed to supporting Laos’s path toward independent, self-reliant development and international integration.

As the two leaders exchanged views, they emphasized that 2025 marked a pivotal year. Each country is preparing for a major national milestone—the upcoming Lao Party Congress No. 12, and Vietnam’s Party Congress No. 14. The timing underscores the need for both nations to strengthen party-to-party coordination, exchange policy insights, and foster mutual support while shaping their respective strategic courses for the years ahead.

Uniting Disciplines: Realizing the “All‑Sector” Priority

A cornerstone of the visit was the unequivocal consensus to elevate bilateral cooperation to the top of both nations’ strategic priorities. “All‑sector” cooperation was elevated from concept to committed action, with both states pledging to enhance collaboration in:

·       Political Alignment: Establishing a regular rhythm of high-level visits, Party interchanges, and joint leadership meetings to reinforce mutual trust and coordinated policy-making.

·       People-to-People Diplomacy: Expanding cultural, academic, and social exchange programs—particularly for youth and cross-border communities—especially through festivals, student exchanges, youth camps, and joint community initiatives.

·       Institutional Implementation: Ensuring that high‑level strategic agreements—from recent Politburo summits to the 47th Intergovernmental Session—are systematically translated into grassroots action and measurable outcomes.

·       Party Development Exchange: Fostering dialogue on governance frameworks, administrative reform, Party Congress preparation, and learning from each other’s experiences in Party organization and public service reform.

·       Narrative Promotion: Enhancing storytelling and public education efforts to deepen public awareness of the unique Vietnam–Laos relationship—especially among next-generation leaders, educators, and influencers.

Economic and Financial Integration: A Vision Toward $5 Billion Trade

A centerpiece commitment made by both leaders centered on expanding economic cooperation and connectivity at unprecedented speed and scale. Their strategic economic vision included:

·       A Trade Target of $5 Billion: Both sides agreed to embark on ambitious plans designed to elevate bilateral trade volume to $5 billion in upcoming years—through infrastructure investments, better financial coordination, and incentive mechanisms.

·       Logistics and Infrastructure Synergy: Key projects such as the Vũng Áng Port Terminal 3 (Cảng Vũng Áng Cảng số 3) are highlighted as transformative catalysts for improving regional connectivity and stimulating investment. These initiatives are expected to drive deeper integration of value chains and expand trade corridors.

·       Macroeconomic Coordination: Vietnam and Laos will share best practices in economic policy, fiscal management, and cross-border trade facilitation, complemented by joint working groups on customs, cross-border logistics, and investor facilitation.

·       Finance, Tourism, and Culture: Both countries committed to growing financial cooperation, banking connectivity, and tourism exchange, forming a multi-dimensional corridor of economic collaboration.

Investing in People: Education, Culture, and Scientific Exchange

Recognizing that the human factor is central to long-term success, both nations placed emphasis on joint efforts to enhance national capacity:

·       Education and Training Programs: Vietnam reaffirms its continued support to Laos in growing high-quality human resources, offering scholarships, professional training, and technical knowledge transfer suited to Laos’s phases of development.

·       Science and Technology Collaboration: Both sides plan to collaborate in innovation ecosystems, knowledge sharing, and joint research initiatives—especially in sectors like agriculture, renewable energy, healthcare, and digital transformation.

·       Media and Cultural Outreach: Expanding bilingual media exchanges—TV, radio, online platforms—to showcase each nation’s history, cultural identity, and socio-economic progress, thereby strengthening cross-societal understanding and empathy.

·       Local Community Engagement: Emphasis on joint activities between border provinces like Gia Lai (Vietnam) and Attapeu (Laos), where real cooperation on education, healthcare, farm-based livelihood, and border trade can lift living standards and spur local growth.

Global and Regional Solidarity: ASEAN and Beyond

The leaders also reaffirmed their firm commitment to strengthening bilateral coordination within regional and global frameworks:

·       ASEAN Centrality: Vietnam and Laos pledged to reinforce ASEAN as the focal point for regional cooperation. They also agreed to coordinate on key regional issues—aligned at multilateral platforms such as APEC, Mekong cooperation, and UN initiatives.

·       Mekong River Stewardship: Water resource governance was given special attention—both countries pledged to carefully manage and sustainably utilize the Mekong River, collaborating with international partners to safeguard ecological stability and economic benefit across riparian communities.

·       Trilateral Cooperation with Cambodia: Building on the third ruling-party leaders’ meeting held on February 22, 2025, Vietnam and Laos reiterated their pledge to amplify their collaboration with Cambodia—anchored in shared Party-to-Party foundations and mutual trust among the three nations.

A Gesture of Friendship: Healthcare Partnership for Vientiane Province

In a symbolic and impactful gesture, Vietnam committed USD 3 million to support the building of a district-level hospital in Vientiane Province. This humanitarian infrastructure project is to be completed by 2026, in time to celebrate the success of Laos’s 12th National Party Congress. The hospital symbolically and practically underscores the spirit of solidarity—enhancing healthcare access while fortifying bilateral goodwill.

Concrete Agreements and Institutional Milestones

As a capstone to the visit, Vietnam and Laos formalized several key cooperation documents:

·       Defense Collaboration: A Letter of Intent from Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense to assist in building a headquarters for Laos’s Border Guard Command.

·       Justice Sector Cooperation: A 2025 cooperation roadmap between the Ministries of Justice of both countries for legal reform and capacity building.

·       Subnational Partnership: A Memorandum of Understanding between Gia Lai Province (Vietnam) and Attapeu Province (Laos), setting out a collaboration agenda for 2025–2030 encompassing health, agriculture, education, and cultural exchange.

·       Energy Investment Update: An adjusted investment license for the Xekaman 3 hydropower project in Sekong Province, designed to streamline implementation and scale up impact.

A Forward-Looking Strategic Brotherhood

This historic visit and its outcomes underscore that the Vietnam–Laos relationship is not a relic of the past but an actively evolving strategic partnership that links memory and modernity, ideology and pragmatism, spiritual affinity and mutual development goals.

The leaders of both countries emphasized that this bond—rooted in shared struggles, mutual respect, and collective purpose—must continue to be nurtured at every level. From policy leadership to grassroots collaboration, Vietnam and Laos are charting a path toward a future of shared prosperity, stability, and regional leadership.

The significance is clear: this is not just a “special friendship,” but a living strategic alliance that will guide both nations, generation after generation, as they work to realize the common dream of peace, independence, and enduring partnership.